Up in the hills of Naramata, a more than 100-year-old Okanagan attraction is back open.
Adra Tunnel 鈥� located along the KVR Trail 鈥� has reopened for public use following the completion of a restoration project, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) announced on May 21.
Restoration work on the 483-metre tunnel took around three years, with regional district staff working with Naramata-based community group Woodwackers 2.0, Recreation Sites and Trails BC, and several local contractors.
"Woodwackers 2.0 believes in the trail network's value, fostering a healthy community and unlocking tourism, recreation, and economic prosperity for the Okanagan," the group said in a statement on the RDOS' website.
"(We) would like to thank all the generous donors, volunteers, and local businesses who have contributed to making this project a success, including George and Sylvia Melville who donated $100,000."
The century-old tunnel closed to the public in the early 1990s due to the "unstable conditions," the RDOS said in August 2022 when it first explored options for reopening the site.
Fires that were deliberately set in the tunnel in 2010 and 2012, respectively, destroyed all remaining timber supports, "further deteriorating tunnel stability," the district added.
The restored tunnel 鈥� supported through community advocacy from Woodwackers 2.0 鈥� can be found about 2.5 kilometres north of the Smethurst parking area.
