The decision by the District of Sicamous’ Council to rezone the portion of the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail within its boundaries now clears the way for another section of trail development.
The section between Kilometre 0 and Kilometre 1.5 of the rail trail is located within the boundaries of the District of Sicamous, immediately upland of the Sicamous Narrows foreshore.
The rail trail ownership partners, which include the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), Splatsin té Secwépemc and the Regional District of North Okanagan (RDNO), are thrilled that reconsideration of District of Sicamous Zoning Amendment Bylaw 1044 resulted in a unanimous Council decision authorizing the use of the Sicamous section for recreational purposes.
The ownership partners are also grateful for the outpouring of support for the project from numerous residents in the area which ultimately led to the reconsideration of the zoning application.
When complete, the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail will be a continuous 50-kilometre non-motorized corridor for recreational walking and cycling between Sicamous and Armstrong.
As construction on the rail trail south of Sicamous has already begun at Kilometre 1.5 moving south toward Kilometre 4.5, the ownership partners will now be looking at ways to get the Sicamous section of the trail between Kilometre 0.5 and Kilometre 1.5 developed during the 2024 construction season.
“We are already going over our construction plans to see how we can get this done. If we can do it this year, we will do it this year,” says Gabe Nava, Project Construction Manager for Splatsin Development Corporation’s Yucwmenlúcwu (Caretakers of the Land).
The first 0.5-kilometres of the rail trail is linked in with work being done by the Province to replace the Bruhn Bridge on the Trans-Canada Highway, so the ownership partners have agreed to delay construction on this segment at this time.
The quick timing on the District of Sicamous rezoning decision, relatively early in the construction season, increases the chance of this section being added to the 2024 construction schedule.