Lodge Rd. improvements, between Sherman Rd. and Woodsdale Rd., include drainage, road renewal, curb and gutter, sidewalk installation on one side, transit stop improvements and intersection improvements. To complement active transportation in the area, and allow for year round use (including winter plowing), the Rail Trail will be paved from Woodsdale Rd. to the Quail Trail access connection south of the Lodge Rd. crossing.
The project is guided by the District's Mobility Improvement Program (MIP) and design was completed in 2024. The road is in poor condition and requires renewal. This important section of road serves as a neighbourhood connection to schools and the town centre.
This section of the rail trail provides a direct, safe, and all-season active transportation connection between the rapidly growing Woodsdale area and the Town Centre. Currently, active transportation users (walkers, cyclists, mobility device users, etc.) in this area are limited to either navigating the constrained and vehicle-oriented Lodge Road or detouring through less direct routes.
By paving the existing gravel portion of the rail trail, the District will close a critical network gap—linking the Woodsdale Active Transportation Corridor with the Lodge Road corridor and the broader regional Okanagan Rail Trail. This creates a continuous, reliable north-south route through the community that better serves commuters, students, and recreational users alike. It enhances connectivity between residential areas, parks, commercial zones, and transit infrastructure, providing a safer, more equitable, and accessible transportation option for all ages and abilities.
As noted in the approved 2025 budget and Five Year Financial Plan that has been in discussion since the Council Meeting held December 3, 2024; and open for public engagement on Let’s Talk Lake Country and at well-advertised public open house sessions, this Mobility Improvement Program (MIP) project is being driven by increasing traffic and demand for mobility solutions as well as the requirement for road renewal along the Lodge Road corridor. The road surface of this section of Lodge Road (the last section of Lodge Road to be renewed) is in poor condition and requires a solution for drainage and renewal of the road structure and surface.
This portion of Lodge Road serves to connect neighborhoods to schools, the Woodsdale / Oyama Road area, the town center and is a parallel to the established north-south Bottom Wood Lake Road corridor. Lodge Road is a highly constrained corridor due to challenging topography, limited right-of-way, and numerous driveway accesses, making it costly to retrofit active transportation infrastructure as identified in the District’s Mobility Master Plan. Significant earthworks, retaining walls, and negative impacts to existing driveways would be required to widen the corridor—drastically increasing project complexity, costs, and timelines. The adjacent Okanagan Rail Trail offers a flat, existing right-of-way that enables a cost-effective solution for a year-round facility that efficiently connects key corridors—without the substantial financial and logistical burdens associated with upgrading Lodge Road.
- PROJECT FUNDING UPDATE: March 27, 2025 the Province of BC announced Lake Country was successful in a grant application for funding in the amount of $500,000 for the Lodge Rd project. Read the News Release from the Province.
Notably, by paving this portion of the rail trail and connecting to existing hard-surface active transportation routes we are completing a network that can be more accessible year-round. Paving the main surface of the rail trail still allows for an approximate half metre section of crushed aggregate on each side so pets that regularly walk with their caretakers do not need to walk on asphalt.
As shown in the 2025 budget, this $2.8 million project is funded through Road Reserve, Gas Tax, Drainage DCC and Road DCC – all collected and saved for specific allocations to road and drainage renewal in order to use the money as efficiently as possible in addressing prioritized needs in the community [note: the contract unit rate for asphalt is $24.97 per m2 (not $200 per m2 as speculated by some)].
For ease of reference and more information on the current Mobility Improvement Program, the 2025 budget and five year financial plan, and public engagement opportunities please check the following links:
See page 104 of the 2025 budget/five year financial plan:
Let’s Talk Lake Country – budget 2025
News Release published on the District website and emailed to subscribers regarding the Lodge Rd project
Mobility Improvement Program (operational)
Mobility Master Plan (strategic)
Please encourage friends and neighbours to subscribe to receive News and Notices from the District of Lake Country to learn more about projects and public engagement opportunities as they are announced. www.lakecountry.bc.ca/subscribe