Claudia Culley
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Gabriola Sounder
Plans to make Gabriola Island’s Descanso Bay Regional Park beach access more accessible to those with mobility challenges are underway following the completion of a feasibility study outsourced by the Regional District of Nanaimo board.
The study was conducted by Tetra Tech, a water, environment and sustainable infrastructure consulting and engineering company, and completed last month. It includes a topographical survey of the project area, which took place in February this year, and considers accessibility, environmental regulations, material selection, construction methods and operational and maintenance challenges. It also reviews permit requirements from local, provincial and federal jurisdictions.
Based on the results of the study, an 18-metre permanent aluminum ramp running parallel to the shoreline was recommended to improve the beach’s accessibility. A seasonal mobility mat, which would extend access from the end of the ramp to the water’s edge was also recommended.
The mat would be a portable yet stable non-slip rollout pathway, covering sand, gravel and exposed rock. The design also includes stairs to allow visitors to bypass the ramp.
The ramp may require winter maintenance once complete, including removing, cleaning and storing the mats, as well as monitoring and clearing logs from the beach that block ramp access.
Summer maintenance may include re-installing the mats and monitoring them for debris build up and visitor wear.
The ramp project needs to undergo a series of permit, bylaw amendments and approvals before construction can begin.
The project’s design phase will take place at the same time as the permit applications and approval processes, leading to a construction-ready plan once complete.
An environmental overview assessment will also take place to confirm environmental permitting requirements and management practices to lower environmental impacts during construction.
The RDN’s 2025 to 2029 financial plan set aside $65,000 in 2025 for the now completed study, which ended up costing $34,000, and $200,000 for project design and construction in 2026. The preliminary estimated cost for design, permitting and approval is $100,000, and the preliminary estimated cost of construction is $287,000.
The preliminary estimated costs for annual operation of the ramp are $18,000, with maintenance activities potentially being added to parks services staff workplans, the campground operator’s contract, or included in maintenance agreements with volunteer organizations.
The changes to Descanso Bay’s beach access follow the Gabriola Land and Trails Trust’s (GaLTT) advocacy work. A delegate from the trust attended a RDN Regional Parks and Trails Select Committee meeting in May 2023 to present about the bay’s beach access and its lack of public shore access for people with mobility challenges. Following the delegation, the RDN approved the feasibility study.
The RDN is planning to make Descanso Bay beach accessible to those with mobility challenges. Derek Kilbourn photo
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