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River Valley Trail Preliminary Design Approved

Pipestone Flyer

On Monday, February 9, 2015, Council approved the preliminary design for upgrades to Devon’s River Valley Trail that connects Voyageur Park to the Lions Campground, and directed administration to proceed with the design and tender. The River Valley Trail project is part of a $90M River Valley Alliance (RVA) Capital Project aimed at developing a “Ribbon of Green” along the North Saskatchewan River; a continuous park and trail system that will eventually connect Devon to Fort Saskatchewan.

“Council is very excited to move forward with this project that has been over a decade in the making,” said Councillor Tanya Hugh. “The trail improvements will allow a wide range of users to safely access and enjoy the river valley. We received a great deal of community feedback on the River Valley Trail, and Council is confident that we have reached a consensus that will please the majority of users.”

After listening to public feedback, Council made the following recommendations:

1.) Construct a new, asphalt trail along Saskatchewan Avenue, to allow safe access to Voyageur Park.

2.) Continue the asphalt trail through Voyageur Park to the boardwalk, following existing trail alignments. The Voyageur Park trail will be designed as a paved, accessible, destination trail that includes a loop, signage and rest stops every 700 metres.

3.) Upgrade the existing stairs (or switchback area) to a natural staircase and rehabilitate and the secondary trail that currently connects to the River Drive pathway.

4.) Upgrade the primary trail that runs from the water plant to the Lions Campground, using the existing trail alignment. This section of primary trail will be upgraded to a 3 m wide, fine crush gravel surface. Some erosion control may be necessary, and the footprint of the proposed wastewater treatment plant will be taken into account.

5.) Replace 3 bridges in the Battery Creek ravine and perform erosion control, vegetation and rehabilitation along the secondary trail as required.

6.) Incorporate amenities, as requested by stakeholders, including additional benches, waste receptacles and way-finding signage.

Construction on the River Valley Trail project is slated to begin this summer. Costs for the project is are shared equally between the federal, provincial and municipal governments. In the future, an additional  asphalt trail, connecting the town via Saskatchewan Avenue to the Lions Campground, but this project is subject to obtaining additional funds and also bank stabilization work at Lions Campground.

For more information and to view the preliminary design package, please visit www.devon.ca