City council to consider closing a section of Kamloops Rivers Trail

KAMLOOPS – A section of the Rivers Trail directly underneath the Yellowhead Bridge in Kamloops may be permanently closed.

City staff are recommending the closure of roughly 200 metres of trail because of heavy erosion from water dripping off of the bridge. A report on the issue is going to city council at their regular meeting tomorrow, Dec. 7.

Parks director Byron McCorkell says in the report the damage has been an issue for a number of years. Barricades and signage at the site of the washout, but a more permanent solution is needed.

The Ministry of Transportation does not consider the erosion an issue as it does not affect the integrity of the Yellowhead Bridge.

The city obtained a quote of $75,000 in 2014 to repair the damage. However, further erosion has occurred and a new estimate of work would be needed, according to the report. The estimated cost of updating the originial design for the repairs is $10,000 alone.

About 2,300 people per month use the section of trail staff propose closing. By comparison, roughly 7,700 people pass under each the Halston Bridge and the CN Bridge in Riverside Park. The park department report states that with the recent construction of a pedestrian overpass accessing Valleyview Drive, this section of trail has become redundant.

If council does not agree to the trail closure tomorrow, the damage would need to be repaired.

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