Stock photo of the North Okanagan Shuswap Rail Trail courtesy of the Shuswap Trail Alliance

By Liam Verster

North Okanagan Shuswap Rail Trail Update

Funding for Rail Trail overpass secured after separate grant request was unsuccessful

Jul 23, 2025 | 8:22 AM

A request for financial aid for an amenity on the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail has been denied, though an alternate form of support was granted.

A report from the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO) said an application had been submitted to the PacifiCan Destination Development funding program to support landscaping of the new Enderby section of the trail as well as engineering and costing of a proposed Highway 97A overpass north of Armstrong.

The request for the $287,000 from the PacifiCan funding stream was unsuccessful, however, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) was reportedly able to secure some aid to fund the engineering estimate for the pedestrian overpass through the B.C. Rural Dividend Program grant funding stream.

The RDNO report also provided some other updates on the work on the trail that will connect Armstrong and Shuswap.

It stated the public feedback of the fully-accessible Enderby section of the trail had been positive, and that a new sculpture will be installed near the trailhead at Cliff Avenue. This statue will be part of the larger “Secwépemc Landmarks Project” and will be funded through the Shuswap Trail Alliance.

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The Mara Lake section of the trail between kilometres 4.4 and 14.8 had reportedly been completed, though it was noted flood and erosion repairs in the area would be required later in the year, and access to the section of the trail was still limited due to construction of the Bruhn Bridge. Parking at this section was also limited, with staff investigating other parking options for trail users.

Maintenance of the old rail bed was underway as of time of publication, which included mowing of weeds and brush that had grown within the gravel ballast surface where the future rail will be constructed.

It added the Armstrong section, between kilometres 49.15 and 50.15, had also been completed.

Additionally, the Splatsin te Secwépemc had recently submitted a grant proposal to the Housing and Infrastructure Canada Active Transportation Fund for a pedestrian overpass near Stepney X-Road, between Armstrong and Enderby, as well as for support for the completion of the trail between Stepney X-Road and Landsowne Road, which runs parallel to Highway 97A north of Armstrong.

The proposed project was estimated at $5.2-million. A timeline for the application for that funding was not provided in the report.

The RDNO Board of Directors accepted the report for information and tasked staff from RDNO, CSRD and Splatsin First Nation with initiating discussions with the Ministry of Transportation and Transit regarding a pedestrian overpass and where it could be located. The staff were also asked to inquire about plans to widen Highway 97 to four lanes near Armstrong.