Eby Street Staircase/Trails Construction - Capital Project

Planned routes of the two new official trails that will connect the Howe Creek trail to the Bench.

Connecting the Bench and the City below

The Bench area in Terrace has limited options for safe and accessible walking and cycling routes to the City below.

Currently, pedestrians and cyclists can use two official routes that connect the two areas:

1. Lanfear Drive (also referred to as Lanfear Hill)
2. Kalum Street (also referred to as Kalum Hill or Skeenaview Drive)

These routes, however, are primarily designed for motor vehicles and not everyone is comfortable walking or cycling on them.

Another option for pedestrians and cyclists to travel between the Bench, and the area below it is to use unofficial off-road routes that run from different areas of the Bench to the Howe Creek Trail network. These unofficial routes, however, are quite steep and are generally in poor condition, with loose dirt and gravel.

Two of these unofficial routes are:

1. Pumphouse Trail
   Runs from the Eby Street Fish Hatchery, up the hill, to the base of Eby Street on the Bench.
   
   
2. Terrace Viewpoint Trail
   Runs from the Howe Creek Trail, just a couple hundred metres east of the Fish Hatchery, to the Terrace Viewpoint. (This view point may also be referred to as the Kalum Hill lookout or the Skeena Viewpoint.)

Two "new" City trailsRendering of Pumphouse Trail stairs made of natural materials (wood and stone)

The intent of the Eby Street Staircase/Trails project is to make these two informal routes into official trails, that are safe and accessible to the general public. The goal is to improve walking and cycling options between the Bench and the city and neighbourhoods below.

The upgraded Pumphouse Trail is intended to mainly be a walking trail. While the route won't change significantly, the grade of the trail will be lessened to make it more walkable and accessible. Stairs made out of wood and stone will be built into the steeper corner sections of the trails, at the switchbacks.

The upgraded Terrace Viewpoint trail will be for pedestrians and cyclists. This trail will start and end at the same locations but it will be re-routed to reduce the trail grade; inexperienced cyclists should be able to ride down the trail once it's complete.

See the planned routes of the two new official trails in the image above.

In addition to upgrading these two trails, this project includes removing and upgrading unsafe infrastructure in the area, and decommissioning and rehabilitating (regrading and revegetating) other existing informal routes.

Many benefits

This updated design and the overall project presents numerous benefits:

• Two new official trails resulting in an expanded trail network and new recreation opportunities
• Improved walking and cycling accessibility between the Bench and the neighbourhoods and city below
• New trail design is easier to maintain, which will result in future cost savings
• More natural stairs and materials will have less of an environmental and visual impact
• Elimination of trespassing on private land
• Removal of unsafe infrastructure

Trails Closure MapSummer 2024 Trail closures