It's not known when Shoreline Trail will reopen after king tides damaged the abutment that supports the wooden bridge at Pigeon Cove.
However, a Tri-Cities federal politician believes Ottawa should be the one opening its wallet for the repair cost.
Port Moody—Coquitlam MP Bonita Zarrillo said the Canadian government has a role to play in providing funding to fix the popular Port Moody trail, calling it an "important" piece of infrastructure for the community.
The trail was indefinitely closed on Dec. 28 after tides peaked at 5.754 metres in Vancouver the day before.
Zarrilllo recently addressed the concern in a letter to Dominic LeBlanc, minister of intergovernmental affairs and infrastructure and communities, while also citing recent water damage to the seawall in Vancouver's Stanley Park.
"Both the Seawall and the Shoreline Trail are much-loved and well-used recreational assets....in the lower mainland," she added in a release sent to the Tri-City News.
"Sadly, significant sections of both assets are now unusable, and the costs of repair surpass municipal budgets."
Damage assessment
As of this publication (Jan. 31), Port Moody has yet to announce a price tag for repairs to the wooden bridge, which cuts across the mud flats at the east end of Burrard Inlet.
Anna Mathewson, the city’s general manager of community services, said high waters severely eroded the foundation between Christmas (Dec. 25) and New Year's Eve (Dec. 31), resulting in significant issues with the support beams and anchors.
Zarrillo, who's also the federal NDP's critic for infrastructure and communities, believes the government must contribute funds where needed to ensure climate-resilient projects are built or repaired.
"Extreme weather events are escalating, and it is important that these valuable natural resources are built back in a resilient way to deal with the increasing frequency of severe storms and higher sea levels," she said.
"The federal government must step in with meaningful funding to fix the Seawall and the Shoreline Trail."
Until assessments are complete, Shoreline Trail users are asked to walk around the east end of Burrard Inlet by using the paved multi-user path along Murray Street.
It then connects to a gravel path along the rail line behind Trasolini Field, but the city said there might be further diversions as sewer upgrade work along part of the trail takes place.
For more information, you can visit the City of Port Moody's website.
