Phase one of Williams Lake River Valley Reopening Set for May 1

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

The City of Williams Lake is thrilled to announce a portion of the River Valley Trail will reopen to the public on May 1, 2023.

The partial River Valley Trail reopening comes close to three years after catastrophic flooding destroyed natural areas and habitat, trails, roadways and City infrastructure, totalling multiple millions of dollars of damage and forcing the valley’s closure due to public safety concerns while repair and remediation work took place.

“I know I join all of our residents in celebrating this welcome news and I would like to thank the public for their continued patience, respect and understanding while the work has been ongoing,” Williams Lake Mayor Surinderpal Rathor said. “We’ve seen tremendous effort by City staff, local contractors, consultants and engineers in order to get our beautiful trail network in the River Valley up and running again.”

The Williams Lake River Valley Trail reopening will take place in phases as work continues in closed areas. This includes the completion of remaining bridges and use of heavy equipment in some sections.

The open portion of trail in phase one will be from the Comer Street entrance heading south toward the Tolko log yard. Phase two of the reopening is targeted for June of 2023, expanding the open section of road further north toward the Fraser River pending the completion of work in that section.

The City is asking the public to refer to map signage that will be posted at the Comer Street entrance for important safety information. The map is also available online at www.williamslake.ca/481/Williams-Lake-River-Valley-Trail.

The public is asked to only use the section of road that is open, respect existing worksites and signage, stay clear of construction traffic and avoid closed recreation features. Motorized vehicle access is also not permitted.

“While we’re excited to announce the partial River Valley Trail reopening we also want to stress that people must take care around construction traffic moving in and out of the entrance along the road,” City of Williams Lake Chief Administrative Officer Gary Muraca said.

“The public should also be aware there may be isolated active worksites existing within the opened areas and we ask users of the road to please use caution.”

Muraca added that the City is pleased to be able to reopen a valued part of the community’s trail network as we head into warmer weather.