Work started last week on land expropriated on the Kalum Motel property to finish off the final leg of the Grand Trunk Pathway to the Kalum River Bridge.
Other portions of the mile-long extension running parallel to Hwy 16 were completed last year and paved this spring but work through the motel property was held up when the City of Terrace could not reach a purchase price with the property’s owner.
That caused the city to expropriate the land it needed for the three-metre wide pathway. Other sections of the trail were built on right of way belonging to the provincial government.
“The contractor estimates the end of August for the full pathway completion,” said city communications official Kate Lautens of the construction timetable.
Aside from paving, workers will be installing benches, planting trees and grass and providing garbage cans and recycling containers along the route.
The cost of the final leg is approximately $1.4 million and is financed through a series of senior government grants. Not included in the figure is the cost of purchasing the right of way through the motel property as that comes through a specific city account.
Although now officially called the Grand Trunk Pathway after the railway company which first built the railway to Prince Rupert, city council now wants to change the name in memory of Charles and Emma Nelson, a Tsimshian couple living in the area at the time of its construction.
This final leg to the Kalum River Bridge is one of two paved multi-use pathways being completed this year with the other being along Lakelse Ave. to the Old Skeena Bridge.
Crews have now installed low barriers and planter boxes to fully separate that path from Lakelse Ave.
Next up for that portion of Lakelse Ave. to the Old Skeena Bridge is repaving its surface.
The city had planned for that project to take place in early fall to coincide with the scheduled completion of the Old Skeena Bridge rehabilitation project but was caught off guard when that project wrapped up ahead of schedule in June.
“The city is currently working with the paving company to coordinate,” said Lautens of the Lakelse resurfacing.