Kinsol Trestle

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The Kinsol Trestle

The Kinsol Trestle, also known as the Koksilah River Trestle, is a wooden railway trestle located on Vancouver Island near Shawnigan Lake in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Completed in 1920, its dimensions measure 145 ft high and 614 ft long, making it the largest wooden trestle in the Commonwealth of Nations and one of the highest railway trestles in the world.

It was built to service local mines by the Canadian Northern Pacific Railway and was later in service under Canadian National Railways. The last train to cross the Kinsol was in 1979.

1 Preservation effort
2 Gallery
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Preservation effort

The trestle has sat dormant since CN's rail service on Vancouver Island was abandoned in the 1980's, with the structure slowly deteriorating. The right-of-way has been incorporated into a recreational trail system affiliated with the Trans-Canada Trail network and the Kinsol Trestle now resides mainly as a local tourist destination.

Due to the deteriorated structure of the Kinsol Trestle, the bridge is not usable by walkers or bicyclists on the Trans-Canada Trail and it is in danger of being torn down by the local authority, Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD), because it potentially poses an environmental concern and danger to the public.

This has created some disagreement in the community. Some community groups are trying to raise money to preserve the trestle for its historical and possible tourism value, whereas other inhabitants simply want to repair the break in the Trans-Canada Trail as quickly and cheaply as possible (currently there is a 8.5 km long detour through difficult terrain to get to the other side).

The Kinsol is situated on land that is owned by the BC Ministry of Transportation and Highways. BC's provincial government is concerned about the potential liability posed by the bridge as a result of its current state of disrepair, and has pledged $1.5m towards demolition of the trestle. A further $1.6m has been made available to establish this important link in the Trans-Canada Trail.

The CVRD held a special meeting on June 7th 2007 to determine the fate of the Kinsol. During this meeting the CVRD Board received presentations from a local firm that specializes in building conservation: Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd proposed a conservation strategy that would see the bridge fully-restored for pedestrian use as part of the Trans-Canada Trail network. M&L claim that it is possible to repair the bridge for less than the estimated cost of removal/replacement, and that once restored it may be preserved 'in perpetuity'.

On September 20, 2007, the CVRD voted to move ahead with a feasibility study of the Kinsol Trestle. Three firms had responded to the CVRD request for proposals for restoration and the Vancouver firm Commonwealth Historic Resource Management Limited won the contract. Commonwealth has joined forces with Macdonald and Lawrence, the local timber construction firm that proposed a conservation strategy in June, 2007. M&L is local in the sense it is established in Cobble Hill (a community close to Shawnigan Lake and the Kinsol), but is world renowned and has built many unique structures in Great Britain, received a commendation from Queen Elizabeth for its work in restoring Windsor Castle following the disastrous fire, restored the the British explorer Shackleton's shack in the Antarctic and other unique restoration projects. In November, 2007 Gordon Macdonald and his team completed a major inspection of the trestle, drilling hundreds of test holes. The final report shows that 80% of the major timbers are still sound and that it is entirely feasible to restore this magnificent structure. M&L's report comprised the major portion of Commonwealth's report presented to the CVRD on January 23, 2008. The Board members were indeed impressed and voted overwhelmingly to have Commonwealth proceed with Phase 2 of the study that will include a detailed plan of restoration, including costs.