A critical infrastructure project underway in Lytton is generating a growing level of frustration among those who consider themselves part of the community, but live across a physical and political divide — the Fraser River.

At issue is the continuation of a sewar construction project which got underway in the last week of May, which has ended up blocking vehicle access to the base of the CN Train Bridge on the Village side of the Fraser.

That Bridge has become the sole access and egress point for those on the “westside” after the Lytton Ferry was pulled from service over the weekend.

While the sewer project is a critical piece of infrastructure for the Village, it’s the timing of the construction that has been frustrating ‘westside’ residents.

Originally meant to be done sometime in April, for circumstances that are not clear, the sewar project in Lytton was bumped up and began last week.

It was launched knowing that the spring freshet had not yet peaked, which it does around this time each year — though when the runoff starts hitting its peak flows is never an exact science and does shift from year to year, depending on the weather and other factors.

When it hit over the weekend and forced the Ferry out of service, Thorpe made an entreaty to Village of Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor, asking that the sewar construction project be put on pause until such time as the Ferry could be reactivated.

Thorpe says she received a note back saying that while the timing was unfortunate, the Village was going to continue on with the project, saying it would do whatever it could to move the process along as quickly as possible.

In the meantime, Thorpe says the delay is making life that much more difficult for ‘westside’ residents who need to cross over each day for work, school or anything else they may require, as there are no amenities on the ‘westside.’

“They’re having to walk probably a good half a kilometer to a kilometer more than they would normally have to walk,” said Thorpe.

“I was speaking to an elderly lady who was trying to navigate a cart down that hill last [Tuesday] night, with 100 pounds in the cart, and needed help,” added Thorpe. “It wiggled and waggled at the bottom, and she said she wouldn’t have got it down without help.”

“I’ve got another resident talking about how their dad can’t make it up the hill with his walker.  People with small children, how are they supposed to navigate that,” added Thorpe.  “It [construction project] should just never have happened.”

 

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Thorpe says there seems to be growing frustration among ‘westside’ residents to the situation and an unwillingness by the Village to consider their concerns, suggesting there is a perceived disconnect between what’s happening within the Village of Lytton and the broader Lytton community.

“I think part of the problem is the lack of collaboration,” said Thorpe.  “They’re so focused on their infrastructure that they’re not looking at the larger community around them.”

Thorpe suggests a lack of local knowledge within the Village administration may also be an issue.

“We have a lot of — for lack of a better word — ‘outsiders’ that are involved in the decision making,” suggested Thorpe.  “When you’ve got a CAO that’s in charge of the projects that lives in Halifax and is only in town one week out of the month, it’s hard to have a pulse for what goes on in the community.”

Despite the frustration, Thorpe says both the Lytton First Nations and the local RCMP detachment have been able to provide assistance.

She says the Band has provided a golf cart, which has been acting as a shuttle service for those crossing over, while the Mounties have also been keeping tabs on the situation as well, while also acting as make-shift “Sherpas” at times to help people get themselves and/or their belongings up the hill and into the Village.

“The RCMP have been fantastic,” said Thorpe.  “They have walked the route, figured out how they can reach out to BC Wildfire Service, the [BC] Ambulance Service… and also Lytton First Nations and the TNRD.”

**Editors Note: A few hours after the article was published, Yellowhead Road and Bridge which operates the Lytton Ferry, announced its reopening on Thursday, June 5th, at 2:30pm.