Final Funding For Trestles

The final funding for safety upgrades to the Trout Creek Trestles was presented in Summerland Friday.

MLA Rick Thorpe gave $50,000 to the Kettle Valley Railway Society to provide safe passage across the train tracks for hikers and cyclists.

In October 2002, local man Mark Ricciardi died after falling through the trestle’s rail ties. His parents, Maggie and Elio, helped form the Trout Creek Trestle Task Force in order to prevent any more tragic accidents.

“I’d like to salute the tremendous level of community co-operation taking this project from concept to reality. Maggie and Elio in particular have demonstrated incredible courage and bravery by seeing the need to improve safety for all residents and visitors who travel to the Trout Creek Trestle,” says Thorpe.

The provincial government has provided $110,000 to the project since its inception. The total cost of the safety upgrades is $300,000.