The province contributed $500,000 to build a section of the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail near Armstrong this year.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Columbia Shuswap Regional District
March 06, 2023 - 4:30 PM
A $500,000 boost from the province will help fund rail trail construction in the North Okanagan this spring.
The grant accounts for the majority of a total $820,000 going toward a small stretch of former railroad near Armstrong, and part of a wider effort to take it north all the way to Sicamous.
The North Okanagan and Columbia Shuswap regional districts are each contributing $160,000 for the rail trail section from Lansdowne Road in Spallumcheen to Smith Drive in Armstrong, according to a news release.
“We’ve all seen how well the Okanagan Rail Trail gets people outside and active, even throughout the colder months, and the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail is sure to do the same," North Okanagan Regional District board chair Kevin Acton said in the news release.
The $820,000 funding will be used for road crossings, barriers, signage and the compact gravel for the four-foot-wide trail for roughly two kilometres.
"From its beginnings, this project has been about working together to create a legacy project that will connect our communities with a pathway that promotes active living for people of all ages and abilities,” Columbia Shuswap Regional District board chair Kevin Flynn said in the release.
Splatsin First Nation is also contributing to the project, but the Band didn't use its own funds for this stretch of trail.
“This important and timely grant funding is appreciated as it brings the total dollars raised very close to the amount needed to develop the entire Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail,” Grahame Go, CEO of Splatsin Development Corp. said in the news release. “Construction of the rail trail is starting this spring, and this additional support will ensure its success − leading to the preservation of Splatsin’s cultural assets and promotion of indigenous values, while simultaneously providing recreational and tourism economic opportunities for the region."
Residents and visitors who want to walk or bike in the area are discouraged because of the car-focused roads. The rail trail will aim at creating a safe avenue from Sicamous to Armstrong.
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