Walkers and cyclists looking to take in the views across Burrard Inlet from the multi-use path along Port Moody’s north shore will have to find another way until April 19.
The path is closed for paving from Old Orchard Park to Murray Street.
As well, the gravel walking trail from Old Orchard Park won’t be able to continue beyond Noon’s Creek as work continues to replace the boardwalk across the mud flats at the east end of the inlet.
The paving of the multi-use path is the final stage of an almost-two-year project to upgrade two sewer mains along the Ioco Road corridor.
That work was completed last year.
The subsequent upgrades to the multi-use path include making it wider and adding new benches, as well as way finding and interpretive signs.
Meanwhile, the replacement of the old wooden boardwalk has been slowed when pile load testing showed more work would be needed to ensure the new wider and higher structure is safe.
“The project team is working diligently to determine the best approach to minimize additional costs and reduce delays,” said a statement on Port Moody’s website.
The $3-million project to replace the old boardwalk that was originally installed more than 30 years ago was necessitated after part of it was damaged by a king tide in Dec., 2022.
A temporary bridge structure erected late last summer allowed a portion of the trail to reopen temporarily until January, when work began to remove the old boardwalk.
The new boardwalk is to be installed on the same footprint as the old one, minimizing its impact on environmentally sensitive areas. It will include railings to make it safer and the elimination of sections that used to require steps will make it more accessible.
When it’s completed the new boardwalk will also feature a new viewing platform to be constructed around the fifth of five First Nations welcome posts carved by artists from the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, Katzie and Squamish Nations that comprise Port Moody’s In the Presence of Ancestors project.
