KINSOL TRESTLE UPDATE

“The Kinsol is…an outstanding example of a time when there was no project too grand, or scheme too bold for us to achieve with hard work and innovation.
“There is more fundraising potential for an effort to conserve an important architectural treasure than there is for a hole in the ground where one once stood.
“With a length of 614 feet, it is the longest trestle in the British Commonwealth.
“Being 145 feet high (taller than a 14 storey building) it is possibly the highest wooden trestle in the world.” –Macdonald & Lawrence, timber framing specialists.

CVRD director Gerry Giles said it best: “We owe it to ourselves and to history to know that we have made the right decision.”
Her comment, and her reminder to the board that she and several other directors were elected after some of the decisions affecting the fate of the Kinsol Trestle were made, was likely the tipping point at the June 7th special meeting called by chairman Jack Peake to hear a proposal by Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd. to restore the 86-year-old structure.
For more than two hours, before a packed audience which included MLA John Horgan, the board listened to proposals from M&D and Calgary engineering consultant James Klett, who favours demolition of the historic structure and replacement by a look-alike design over the Koksilah River at Mile 51.1. After asking questions, some of which were clarified by a representative of the Ministry of Transportation, Victoria engineering consultant Ian McColl and Calgary structural engineer Reid Costley, the board voted 11-1 to provide $160,000 for a “preliminary planning and peer review”.
Should the Kinsol pass this litmus test, the CVRD will decide whether to commit to the restoration plan that the internationally acclaimed heritage specialists have pegged at less than $4 million—$2 million less than the CVRD’s projected cost of demolition and construction of a “modified” bridge.
It should be noted that the MOT, whose concern for its legal liability because of the trestle’s semi-derelict state has driven the agenda for demolition, have consented to the $1.5 million budgeted for deconstruction and site clean-up being applied to restoration. The provincial government is also willing for the $1.6 million recently granted for “reconstruction” to be applied to restoration. On the condition that the CVRD accepts legal responsibility for the trestle. Without this money, the regional district cannot afford either plan.
Based upon M&L’s quote, the CVRD will have to come up with a further $900,000. As intimidating as this sounds, the case has been made by trestle proponents that they will have greater chance of raising additional money for a restoration than for a rebuild-and will have plenty of time to do so...
Here are the highlights of Macdonald &Lawrence’s proposal:
--That this landmark can be saved, and for less than the projected cost of replacement.
--The Kinsol is an important part of our local and provincial heritage. It remains an outstanding example of a time when there was no project too grand, or scheme too bold for us to achieve with hard work and innovation.
--[Our] proposed methodology meets or exceeds all current standards for the care of built heritage as defined by the International Council on Monuments and Sites, of which Canada is a signatory nation.
--[Our] strategy avoids the need to dismantle the bridge altogether. This is an advantage because the existing bridge shape and geometry are retained [at a saving of] considerable cost and time.
--By working from both sides of the valley towards centre, workers will be able to safely access the bridge from the rail deck level at all times, using this as the principal means to bring new material in, and take perished material out. This strategy significantly reduces the risk to workers.
--[Our] proposal is based upon an anticipated service life of 40 years. With annual maintenance and modest expense, the Kinsol can be preserved in perpetuity.
--The entire work area is located within a sensitive riparian zone where both the marine and land ecologies must be protected from falling debris or damage from machinery. Working from the side to the centre enables a methodical approach whereby construction debris can be controlled, and the majority of work can be performed from the deck level rather than the valley floor.
--The vast majority of funds would be invested locally for the benefit of local business and approximately 20 new local jobs would be created.
--There is more fundraising potential for an effort to conserve an important architectural treasure than there is for a hole in the ground where one once stood.

Because the Kinsol Trestle no longer has to bear the weight of loaded logging trains, M&L propose to replace its first-growth fir timbers that are beyond saving with larger dimension western red cedar. This will provide longevity and meet required structural standards.
Thursday evening, the CVRD agreed to fund this final study. Upon confirmation that restoration of the Kinsol Trestle is financially viable, the board will vote whether to commit to this program. M&L have projected six months for a detailed construction strategy, three months for peer review and 18 months to complete the restoration.
--T.W. Paterson