Residents of a North Saanich can now use the extension of a popular recreation trail.
The municipality announced that the northern section of the Scoter Trail from Munro Road to the Tseycum First Nation is now open, with the project said to be on time and on budget.
The extension adds 350 metres to the Scoter Trail, now running some 1.3 kilometres along the shoreline from Patricia Bay Park in the south to the Tseycum First Nation lands in the north. The final total estimated cost of the project is $900,000, some $600,000 less than the original budget of $1.5 million.
Work on the northern section of the trail started in the summer of 2018 when the municipality hired a consultant to assess, design, and re-construct that part of shoreline which was “highly eroded and in need of significant restoration before it can be reopened to public use.”
RELATED: LETTER: Library would destroy North Saanich trail
The upgrades involved preservation of the natural shoreline, restoration of the trail and installation of a pebble beach, making the trail walkable at all tides.
Staff noted that the work did not just restore the trail but also sought to make it more resilient against future climate change impacts, by raising the route to a height of 4.3 metres so that it will continue to withstand rising water levels as far as the year 2050.
While it is not clear how many people actually use the trail over the course of a year, it enjoys a high level of popularity among a variety of walkers and runners.
Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
