Construction on the Sicamous to Armstrong stretch of the Shuswap-North Okanagan Rail Trail is on track to continue into fall.
In a Sept. 5 media release, the rail trail partners announced that as work on the four-kilometre section near Sicamous, and the 1-km stretch between Lansdowne Road and the City of Armstrong near completion later this month, they'll continue working toward that and the following phase.
"As these two sections come close to completion (September 2024), the next phase of work south of km 4.5 to 42.6 will begin and move through 2025," the release reads. "The project work will include flood erosion repairs along Mara Lake and the Shuswap River, aggregate surfacing of the trail, pedestrian-friendly modifications to rail bridges, road crossings, signage installation, and improved trailhead access."
Prior to starting on that, the section near Sicamous still needs additional surface elevation in some areas to improve flood erosion protection and will be built up another 2.5 feet over the next few weeks. Trucks and equipment will remain on-site through September to complete that work, with a staging area at Folland Road.
The portion near Armstrong is on CPR-owned land next to an active railway spur that requires a new trail subsurface and the relocation of a BC Hydro pole. Once that is complete, the city will build an extension of the path to connect into town.
Both trail sections on trail remain closed to the public during construction.
The trail partners aim to have the 42.6-km section completed by fall 2025, with a contingency plan extending into 2026 for any delays and final touches. The plan is to open portions of the trail to the public as soon as trailhead access is completed and deemed safe to use.
For now, the 2-km pilot section in Enderby, which opened in 2023, is the only part of the trail open for use. The community is invited to join the first volunteer work bee to help remove invasive plants, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sept. 21 at Belvidere Park.
