Rail Trail construction will impact users

Users of the Okanagan Rail Trail will have to put up with partial or full trail closures on the northern section for the next few weeks.

The Regional District of North Okanagan is getting started on erosion protection along the trail which will create one-way traffic in certain sections from today (Sept. 3) to Sept. 15.

“RDNO has already started work on paving the parking area on West Kal Road, and on September 3, RDNO contractors will begin preparations to also complete erosion protection on trail sections that were damaged as a result of flooding in 2017. Unfortunately, this will mean inconveniences for our users during the next four weeks,” said Ashley Gregerson, Communications Officer.

There will also be no access through select portions of the trail from morning until 5 p.m. from Sept. 16 to Sept. 27 (open on weekends).

“These timelines allow us to complete work without impacting Kokanee salmon runs in Kalamalka Lake, which is very important to us,” said Gregerson.

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The trail will remain open and accessible on evenings by 5 p.m. and on weekends.

Residents are encouraged to visit www.rdno.ca/ORTwork for detailed maps indicating sections that will have partial and full closures.

Past flooding events on Kalamalka Lake led to high water levels that caused serious damage and significantly eroded the trail.

RDNO has been working to secure permits to fix this damage for the last few years, and finally received the final approvals on August 21, 2019.