A five-year, billion-dollar hydro project begins with one small job.
BC Hydro announced Thursday that site preparation work is beginning in advance of the main construction work for the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project.
The first of the work will begin with tree removals for the new parking lot off Woodstave Road, just off Brewster Lake Road near Highway 28.
Hydro will construct an access road, 80-spot parking lot and trail to provide public access into the Elk Falls Provincial Park. These new public access works into the park will be in place for the up to three-year road closure to Brewster Lake Road, which may begin as early as this fall.
Out of consideration for doing the tree removals prior to the bird nesting season, on Monday and lasting for about three days, BC Hydro will have a contractor remove the trees within the parking lot footprint. All the removals will be within BC Hydro property.
Work on widening the three access roads into the John Hart property, along with parking lot and trail system re-alignments, will take place this spring and summer in advance of the main construction work beginning around late summer.
Hydro will advise the community of the site preparation construction schedule in the near future, including the Station View Trail that will allow for the broader Canyon View Trail loop around the John Hart construction area.