Initial Pathway Section Chosen
By Jo Anne Malpass
Family walks along a narrow side of Squilax-Anglemont Road - North Shuswap
(photo credit North Shuswap Pathway)
Based on community usage and feedback, a costs and engineering study, meetings with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and the Ministry of Transportation, a starting section for the active transportation pathway along the North Shuswap has been chosen.
CSRD Parks and Lawson Engineering presented the possibilities and challenges for each of the three priority sections to the North Shuswap Pathway Team, at a meeting in late May. Chosen as the first section is 2.4 kms from Ross Creek Community Park in Magna Bay to Fraser Bay in Anglemont.
In the summer of 2020, the pathway team put out an online survey for three weeks, resulting in 273 responses. Of those, 30.45% said the section they walked weekly was between Anglemont Lakeview Park and Ross Creek Community Park. The next two highest usage sections were between the school and Magna Bay boat launch and between the boat launch and Ross Creek Park.
When the results of the engineering plan were done and presented to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the estimated cost of the section between the school and Magna Bay boat launch was $4.3 million and had several crosswalks, two bridges and areas requiring retaining walls, which the CSRD would have to take responsibility for. This had been the priority choice and it is possible, in the future, to divide it into smaller sections, such as the school to the community hall and park, however given the logistical and financial challenges of this section it was placed as lowest priority.
The engineer divided the section from Lakeview Park to Ross Creek into an easier section and a more difficult section, based on crosswalks, encroachments into private property, the need for retaining walls, etc. The easier and less expensive portion is from Ross Creek community park to Fraser Bay, a 2.4 km section. This is a starting point and one step in the direction toward the steering committee’s vision of a pathway from Skwlax to St. Ives.
The third area of interest was connecting pathways in Scotch Creek, from the fire hall to Wharf Road and from Imai Road to Rose Clifford Park. Sections of this are also a possibility in the future.
Pathway Team leader Debbie Seymour said with the number one concern being safety, this gets people in a high population area past a relatively busy traffic area.
“This was our second priority, behind Bristow Road to Ross Creek, which has significant challenges to build.” This park to public water access section “is a visible commitment to what we are trying to do and a great representative sample of the team’s goals.”
Area F Director Jay Simpson said “the committee has done a tremendous amount of work on this and I’m happy to support their recommendation. I think this section will give us the opportunity to begin the pathways and make sure that it gets the hoped-for use, before spending many more dollars on more difficult sections.
CSRD Community Services Team Leader Ryan Nitchie said “the next steps in the process is for Lawson Engineering to complete final design for the modified section between Ross Creek Park and Fraser Bay. CSRD has also referred the project to local Indigenous communities to commence necessary consultation. After the final design and Indigenous consultation for this area have been completed and any required recommendations addressed, the CSRD will be able to submit a Permit to Construct to the Ministry of Transportation. This will make the project shovel ready but would still need to go through the CSRD budget process to authorize leverage funding for grant applications.”
The CSRD budget process will commence in the fall with Active Transportation grant programs accepting applications in early spring of 2023. With necessary leverage funding in place, the CSRD would be positioned to apply for federal and/or provincial grants, which require the CSRD provide funding of up to 40% of the total project cost.
