Fall is upon the community, but it is not without its warm sunny days and reasons to stay outdoors and enjoy a bike ride or walk. The Vermilion Trails Society is especially glad that the weather has been cooperative for a recent project along the Kettle Valley Rail Trail within town limits. After opening a small paving project for tender, Cantex from Penticton was awarded the contract to pave a small section of the trail at the south end of the Bridge of Dreams and then a larger section of trail from the bridge’s south end out past Old Hedley Road to the bench above the Weyerhaeuser main office.
“This paving project came as a bit of a gift to our community,” stated VTS president Kim Maynard. “With the help of our maintenance crew, other members of our group, Dana Stevens of Hayes Canyon Road Maintenance and the town of Princeton, we have been able to compile an extensive wish list of problems areas and/or wish list items to tackle over the next few years. This paving project was one of them. All our government partners and Leigh-Anne at Katim Enterprises have a copy of the list we compiled and with this particular project, some unspent funds just happened to become available for Princeton.”
“With emphasis from us and the town to finish paving on either side to the bridge now that the lighting has been tied in to our electrical shed, we were apparently the ones who must have made the most noise or had the most direct impact or something on our facilitators,” Maynard continued, “and we are really pleased that Princeton has been chosen as the recipient. “The paving looks great, keeps dust down along this stretch of the trail and makes it really accessible for everyone to use. We have already had some really nice comments made to us about the paving.”
Along with the paving out at the north east end of Princeton is more paving at the south west end. Starting where the pavement ended before the Princeton Tunnel, a new stretch of black top begins. This new stretch runs right through the tunnel out to the trestle and from the other side of it around the corner. “It looks great,” added Maynard. “Cantex has done a nice job.”
One other side project that was rushed to completion before the paving company arrived was the bollards now solidly concreted in and locked at either end of the bridge. “There were some people actually driving their vehicles on the bridge we heard,” said Maynard. “The bollards couldn’t wait. It was a matter of time before something bad happened with that going on.
The town of Princeton took care of that and we are really grateful that all we had to do was supply the bollards. They did a great job and now the bridge is protected once again.”
Princeton resident Linda Lowen was happy to hear that the tunnel was being paved. “Last time I went through the tunnel I got a flat,” she said. “Now I just got it fixed and am trying out this new pavement. I bike and walk on this trail a lot and this is my first time on the new paving. What a wonderful and beneficial asset this is to our community. It’s really nice.” Lowen has lived in Princeton for two and a half years and also spoke of the new lighting along the trail. “I am a night person and I even use the trail in the evenings now that it is lit. I am really glad Princeton has this great trail running right through town.”