A tunnel dark in the South Okanagan Shows light on an important element of its history.
The 111 year old Adra tunnelperched above Naramatawas part of the Kettle Valley Railway System (KVR).
But the tunnel has been closed to the public for about four decades – so far.
“It is a 500 -meter -long tunnel,” said Justin Shuttleworth, Parks Director in the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS). “It makes a turn of almost 180 degrees in the mountains because it goes around the switchback.”
After the railway stopped operations in the 1970s, the province acquired the tunnel, but the deterioration of the conditions finally made the conditions dangerous and led to its closure in the 1990s.
A group of volunteers called “Woodwackers” had the hope of preserving it and restoring it, but its stability was still compromised after two separate fires in 2010 and 2012.
With the same spirit and hope, a new group called “Woodwackers 2.0” formed several years ago and set out to work.
“It took more time than we thought, but the community continued to rally and introduce itself with shovels, money and resources,” said Terry Field, project manager of the volunteer group.
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About 1 million dollars were collected in community donations, which made the reopening possible.
“It was a major company to do so,” said Shuttleworth. “It is not a little feat to have this tunnel for the public again.”
The reopening has involved many stages, including the abolition of thousands of cubic meters of tunnel rocks and numerous stability works.
“We had a mining company. They lit the rock, then installed the anchors of rock bolts to fix the rock above the ceiling and on the sides,” said Field. “There was also a series of shooting shots, which is like pulverized concrete, in certain areas there to secure the tunnel. We have also installed wood in an area of the tunnel to structurally support one of the concrete arches which was already there. ”
For tourism operators, such as Hoodoo Adventure Company, which rents bikes for the KVR Trail, the reopening of the tunnel should give a boost to the local tourism industry.
“The KVR is a real unique experience, tourism, experience, the draw for tourism,” said Lyndie Seddon, owner of the company. “So, to be able to have a piece in additional history and a single” WOW postman “on the track, because there are many, but it’s another big and it’s unique.”
The Adra tunnel is the longest tunnel of the KVR trail and very popular among cyclists who roamed the distance of 80 km between Kelowna and Penticton.
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