Pavement is cracking and crumbling along a section of the walking trail at Okanagan Lake. The worst damage extends from the Rotary walking pier to the water park area in Peach Orchard Park.

Pavement is cracking and crumbling along a section of the walking trail at Okanagan Lake. The worst damage extends from the Rotary walking pier to the water park area in Peach Orchard Park.

Pavement cracking along lakeside path

Repair work will be done along a popular lakeside walking trail where the pavement is cracking and crumbling.

Repair work will be done along a popular lakeside walking trail where the pavement is cracking and crumbling.

In early August, Elle Baker fell when a piece of asphalt crumbled as she was walking along the path at Peach Orchard Park.

Baker has been walking the pathway daily for the past 10 years and during that time has noticed the deteriorating condition of asphalt.

“This park is going to ruin because nobody’s looking after it,” she said.

She added that roots are causing cracks at some parts of the walkway.

In other areas, pieces of the concrete have broken off.

Linda Tynan, chief administrative officer for the municipality, said municipal staff are working on a plan for how to make the necessary repairs to the pathway.

Maarten Stam, manager of works for the municipality, said public works crews will patch some of the damage this fall, after the busy tourist season is over.

He said much of the work is relatively minor, but because the path is close to Okanagan Lake, provincial approval is needed before doing anything more extensive than patching.

“A lot of the problems are not surface-related. They are a lot deeper,” he said.

“The base of the path has been washed away with the high lake level.”

Municipal representatives have already met with an environmental consultant and will come up with proposals for the repair work.

“To do a proper repair could be a significant expense,” Stam said.

Much of the work, beyond the initial patching, will be presented to council for the 2017 municipal budget.

The pathway is 1.23 kilometres in length. The worst portion, from the water park to the Rotary pier, is roughly 340 metres long.

 

Summerland Review