Delta boardwalk improvements completed

DELTA, B.C. — The public can now visit a newly realigned portion of the Delta Nature Reserve boardwalk that provides access to Burns Bog.

“Having safe access to nature is essential to mental health and reducing stress, especially during COVID-19 times,” said Carla Qualtrough, MP for Delta, in a statement. “It’s great to see the Delta Nature Reserve Boardwalk realignment now complete so the community can continue to enjoy the special beauty of Delta’s ecosystems, plants and animals. The new on-ramp built for this component of the broader Highway 91/17 upgrade project will also improve traffic flow and safety.”

The project included rebuilding 170 metres of boardwalk and raising it to mitigate flood risk. The province noted the new alignment also improves accessibility to environmental features such as the hardhack meadow.

The project features four new viewing platforms and four new memorial benches.

“We are really happy with the quality of the realigned section, and it provides a good vision of the work that needs to be done on the remaining sections of the boardwalk,” said Nikolai Karpun, research and stewardship co-ordinator with the Burns Bog Conservation Society. “It is also great to see the new memorial benches with the plaques dedicated to those who supported the society when the boardwalk was first constructed. This was an important expectation for the Burns Bog Conservation Society, and we’re appreciative of the collaborative process led by the province.”

The boardwalk upgrades were part of a larger effort to upgrade Highway 91 and Highway 17. The design builder of the project subcontracted the work to Give Back Contracting Limited, in partnership with Kwikwetlem First Nation Enterprise. The realignment provides space for a new vehicle ramp connection between Highway 91 and the Nordel Way Interchange.

The project includes a combination of safety and reliability enhancements to Highway 91, Highway 17 and the Highway 91 Connector, including: