December 8, 2003 – The Kettle Valley Railroad's trademark trestle bridges disappeared in a cloud of smoke this summer when the Okanagan Mountain fire – the same one that damaged Kelowna suburbs – roared through Myra Canyon. Of the 18 airy and scenic bridges that once lined the 11 kilometre long canyon, 12 were destroyed and two damaged by flames.

“All that was left of the bridges was molten metal from the nails, and cement blocks where the legs once were,” said Murphy Shewchuck, president of Trails BC, a trail access and protection society. “Where there were bridges, there is now nothing.” Even before firefighters had left a local committee had been set up to recommend ways of replacing the trestles. A provincial task force took those recommendations and will make a final plan. Preliminary estimates put the rebuilding cost at $15-million.

The cost would be higher except, “They won't need to be rebuilt to railway standards,” Shewchuck said. And there is the possibility of rerouting the trail instead of rebuilding bridges. That option isn't popular. “We want to see all the bridges rebuilt, we want to preserve the integrity and history of the trail,” said Denis Frie, president of the Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society. “And it should be done quickly too.”

The speed of the project will depend on funding. The province and Ottawa have both promised money, and Trails BC and Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society are both taking donations. Trails BC has, also, been busy finding a bypass route around the canyon, which would reopen the KVR and Trans Canada Trail for ride through traffic.

The KVR is the TCT in parts of B.C. The bypass should be found and marked by spring and rebuilding work should begin at the same time. The rebuilding effort will likely take a t least two years. With $5-million spent by tourists using the KVR annually, businesses already hurt by the fire's impact on tourism want to see Myra Canyon open sooner rather than later.

To donate to Kettle Valley Railway rebuilding effort send donations to:

Myra Canyon Trestle Restoration Society PBC Box 611, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7P2 http://kvr.acromedia.ca/