The Canyon View Trail will see some short-duration closures starting July 1.
BC Hydro is advising that upcoming construction work to build a path for new power cables from the new underground John Hart powerhouse to the existing substation will cause some short duration trail closures starting July 1.
The work will be happening at the Station View Trail, on the plateau above the substation, which is an extension of the Canyon View Trail.
“We worked with the community, through our community liaison committee and a recreation advisory committee, on how we could re-route the section of the Canyon View Trail on our property during the five years of project construction,” says BC Hydro spokesperson, Stephen Watson. “In 2013, we were able to develop and build the bypass Station View Trail to keep the wider trail open, and at the same time not interfere with the John Hart Generating Station Replacement Project. It’s worked very well to date though now we need to cross the trail to construct the power cable trays that will carry the electricity generated in the new powerhouse to the substation, and on to the wider power grid. To safely do this work, for worker and public safety, there will be some short-duration closures as equipment moves around and construction activities take place.”
InPower BC, the project contractor, will temporarily divert, and intermittently restrict access to, a small section of the Station View Trail starting in July and continue until early 2018.
People using the Station View Trail will be diverted through an approximately 100-metre long fenced zone near the three large surge towers. This is where people may be stopped, intermittently, Monday to Friday between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The length of these closures will vary, but expect most to last no more than a few minutes. As the work progresses, the location of the fenced zone will be adjusted in order to maintain the safety of trail users.
“We ask that trail users observe and obey all signs as they pass through the fenced diversion section of trail as it’s adjacent to an active construction area,” says Watson.
A four-way stop will be in operation where public walkers and construction vehicles intersect at the trail and power cables corridor. Everyone will be required to stop at this four-way stop and ensure it is safe to proceed before continuing along. Flaggers will be used during occasional periods of heavy construction traffic through this zone over the course of this project phase. Pets must be on leash at all times through BC Hydro property.
“It’s much appreciated that InPower BC, which is SNC-Lavalin and their subcontractors such as Aecon, is trying their best to keep this valued trail system open, while at the same time safely completing a critical part of the project with the connection of the generating station to the power grid,” adds Watson. “The use of the Canyon View Trail was one of the top points of community interest on the John Hart project. We really hope people will be patient and understanding when they may come across a short-duration trail closure.”