Access agreement reached for Mud Lake road

NEWS — The provincial government has reached an agreement with the CN for access to the Mud Lake forest service road, Minister of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Steve Thomson said today.

In March, CN closed the railway crossing, just north of the Blue River airstrip, after a snowmobiler got stuck on the tracks. The incident delayed a Via Rail train and disrupted service on the CN mainline from Kamloops to Winnipeg for four hours.

To maintain public access, the existing private permit has been amended to designate the crossing as a public crossing. As part of the agreement with CN, the province will maintain the crossing and ensure that the railway’s access, privacy and safety concerns are addressed.

The province will ask the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, B.C. Hydro, Kinder-Morgan and local commercial interests to contribute to the upkeep of the crossing.

Although the forest service road is primarily used for logging, it also provides access to Blue River Black Spruce Provincial Park, B.C. Hydro power lines, private lands, and traplines. The changes also support a jet-boat tour operation on Mud Lake.