Construction crews have begun work on the revitalization of the Rushbrook Trail.
Sean Carlson, president of the Kaien Island Trail Enhancement and Recreation Society, said work began on Tuesday, Sep. 5 to clear away brush and rocks, create a new bed surface for the trail to be laid down on, and pioneer the trail’s new path, which will bring it away from the rock face and railway tracks in the area.
Carlson said moving the trail away from the cliff face was one of the primary design points of the new trail, as the safety hazard of falling rocks was one of the primary factors in the trail being decommissioned in 2003.
“Now, if rocks do come down, people won’t be in harm’s way,” he said.
Another feature of the restored trail will be three bridges that span over the water giving hikers and joggers a better view of the shoreline and the ability to see different features of the old trail. Carlson said the construction crews will be exposing the areas where the bridges can go on shore so they can put together the final details for what the bridge foundations will look like. He said the bridges will be put in place in October.
On July 25, the Rotary Club of Prince Rupert, the Port of Prince Rupert, CN, Pinnacle Renewable Energy Group and the Kaien Island Trail Enhancement and Recreation Society announced the launch of the $1.1 million revitalization project. Fundraising for the trail restoration has been taking place for over 15 years, and Carlson said it is extremely satisfying to see all that work come to fruition.
“It means that all the hard work that has gone in for the last 15 years on behalf of rotary and the generous contributions that the funders put in will be able to be shared by the community, and be enjoyed by people using the trail,” he said.