M.D. and Town work to Expand Trail System

The Municipal District and Town of Bonnyville have been working together for a number of years on expanding the trail system through the town and M.D. At each Council’s recent meetings, both Councils stated they will continue this project. The M.D. has approved two new projects, while the Town has announced their intention to move forward with linking the trial.

For the M.D., already approved is using an old cattle run under Highway 28 to construct a trail that will go under the busy roadway. Known as the Ardmore Storm Water Trail, this project was approved by previous Council and further approved by the current Council to go forth. This will allow users of the trail to safely cross over from one side to the other; thus connecting the trail from Moose Lake to the Town. At the recent Council meeting it was approved to go even further and take the trail up to North Shore Heights. The Ardmore Trail is on the south end of the golf course and the North Shore Heights Trail will tie into the existing trails that are around Moose Lake. Councillors discusses the possibilities of the trails eventually connecting to the Iron Horse Trail.

With a lot of money invested in the project, understandably the M.D. wanted to ensure that the Town still had plans to continue their trail project. There is a few kilometres of trail missing that would go from Jesse Lake and connect to the M.D.’s trail. That connection is vital to ensure people are able to use the trail from the Town, all the way out to Moose Lake.

The Town is faced with some repairs to the Jesse Lake Trail, after last summer’s high water levels took out the south side of the trail, making it impassible. With that in mind, the Town has stated their intention to eventually complete the trail, while making it clear that their first job will be to repair the current trail.

The underpass is slated to be completed in 2018, while the other three projects, North Shore Heights, connection of borders and south side of Jesse Lake, do not yet have dates of competition.