Individual wooden boards and rocks used to provide a drier pathway for those travelling Salmon Arm’s foreshore trail are no longer needed.
A section of the popular four-kilometre trail along Shuswap Lake has been closed (Monday to Friday, Aug. 5 to 13) as the city upgrades lower lying portions of the trail that, when not flooded during high water, are often wet and muddy to navigate.
The city is working with the Shuswap Trail Alliance and the Salmon Arm Nature Bay Enhancement Society on the improvements.
As of Sunday, Aug. 8, parts of the trail had already been widened and elevated.
In the city’s 2021 budget, council included $50,000 for foreshore trail improvements.
“We especially want to remove the wet sections that annually make it difficult for seniors or others to walk the length of that trail,” Mayor Alan Harrison stated in January 2021.
Council’s decision to commit money to improving the trail followed a request to the city by resident Vivian Morris, who saw how much more the popular greenway was being used during the pandemic.
“It’s time to make it a gem,” Morris urged in a letter to council.
According to the city, the trail may close again periodically during the day between Aug. 16 and 20. It remains open evenings and weekends.
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