Okanagan rail trail budget boosted by new funding

Kettle Valley Rail Trail users from Kelowna south to Penticton and west of Summerland should see significant improvements this year following a funding announcement by the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen.

The regional district announced this week $450,000 in additional trail funding to make repairs and complete projects that were, up until now, underfunded or incomplete.

Parts of the trail west of Summerland were closed last year due to landslides and erosion. RDOS spokesperson Erick Thompson says funding will be allocated towards those repairs and to canyon sections of the trail through Faulder, which have also been impacted by slides.

Some of the projects included in the funding will go towards improvements and amenities along popular sections of the Kettle Valley Rail Trail.

One project will put picnic tables and a pit toilet at Little Tunnel above Naramata, a popular destination and lookout spot.

Funding will also go towards improving the trail surface between Little Tunnel and Myra Canyon, one of the more popular cycling sections of the trail.

Other projects include providing additional wayfinding and information signs along the regional district’s 230 kilometres of rail trail. Plans call for improved trailside brushing, invasive plant removal and danger tree assessments and removals.

The funding is being made available through the Forest Employment Program and will cover costs associated with staffing, inspections and equipment.

RDOS Board Chair Karla Kozakevich says the regional district has seen an increase in demand for outdoor recreational opportunities since the pandemic began last March.

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