Restored piece of South Okanagan history to benefit local tourism – Okanagan [Video]

A dark tunnel in the  South Okanagan is shining light on an important piece of its history.

The 111-year old Adra Tunnel, perched above Naramata, was part of the Kettle Valley Railway (KVR) system.

But the tunnel has been closed to the public for about four decades — until now.

“It’s a 500-metre-long tunnel,” said Justin Shuttleworth, parks manager with the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS). “It does a nearly 180-degree turn in the mountain as it makes the turn in the switchback.”

After the railway ceased operations in the 1970s, the province acquired the tunnel but eventually deteriorating conditions made it unsafe and led to its closure in the 90s.

A group of volunteers called ‘Woodwackers’ had hopes of preserving and restoring it but its stability was further compromised after two separate fires in 2010 and 2012.

With the same spirit and hope, a new group called ‘Woodwackers 2.0’ formed several years …