P.E.I. National Park trail closed for improvements

Sections of the popular Homestead Trail in P.E.I. National Park closed Monday and will not fully reopen until February.

Work is starting to resurface segments of the 10-kilometre, compound-loop trail.

There will be signage at the trailhead, and signs and barricades at intersections in the trail itself, indicating where to go.

"We will be shutting down areas, probably two to three kilometres at a time, and redirecting people around those areas," said Greg Shaw, a project manager for Parks Canada.

"The grass has grown into a lot of the trails. It looks nice but, at the same time, that will become mud after a while."

An eight-person crew will be laying down gravel to firm up the trail, at a cost of about $500,000.

Expected to reopen in February

Shaw said the trail will close completely, likely in mid-December, to replace one of the bridges and repair another one. Work is expected to be complete in February.

The Reeds and Rushes and Woodland trails are also currently closed. There is no timeline yet when those may reopen.

This work is part of $3 billion worth of upgrades the federal government is investing in Parks Canada over five years.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |'Just to hold him': P.E.I. woman excited for post-Irma reunion with husband in Cuba
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Has P.E.I. lost its Islandness? A study of Confederation Bridge 20 years on