Wetaskiwin County residents are facing fresh travel disruptions this week after three rural roads were closed Monday morning due to flooding, washouts and related damage. The temporary closures affect Range Road 11, Range Road 15A and Battle Lake Trail, with the county also advancing a planned bridge replacement on Range Road 261 that will shut the route until late July.
The three new closures took effect at 8 a.m. on June 22, 2026, according to the County of Wetaskiwin. Range Road 11 is shut from Highway 611 to Township Road 452, while Range Road 15A is closed between Highway 13 and Township Road 462 after a washout carved through the roadbed. Photographs posted on the county’s alert page show a section of Range Road 15A crumbling into a water-filled gap.
Battle Lake Trail is also closed north of the campground to the intersection of Township Roads 464A and 465, cutting direct access to Battle Lake Park, a popular camping and recreation spot about 30 kilometres west of Highway 2 along Highway 13. Campers and day users will need to find alternate routes.
The closures come after a weekend of heavy rain that Environment Canada had warned about. The county saw between 75 and 150 millimetres of precipitation, leading to localized flooding, water-covered roads and strain on wastewater systems, particularly around Mulhurst and Pigeon Lake. County officials are urging drivers to use extreme caution because road conditions can change quickly and some routes are impassable.
Alongside the storm damage, a planned bridge project began the same day on Range Road 261 south of Highway 13. The 67-year-old Bridge File 8525 is being replaced with a new culvert under the county’s bridge capital plan, with the road expected to reopen by July 29, 2026. That project was already scheduled as part of the $14 million capital budget, which doubles bridge maintenance spending this year.
A separate bridge failure has kept Range Road 255 north of Highway 13 closed since June 9. Bridge File 72248 was under a 15-tonne weight restriction since July 2025 before it failed completely. The county has not said when that route will reopen.
Residents looking for road closure details or alternate routes can call the county office at 780-352-3321 or the after-hours line at 780-352-0005.
