BONSHAW PROVINCIAL PARK NATURAL PLAYGROUND, SIGNAGE & TRAILS

Bonshaw Provincial Park in PEI was impacted by a new realignment of the Trans Canada Highway resulting in a budget to address circulation and improve features in the park including a new natural playground.  The park is located along the West River (JiKa’we’Katik, “the place where bass are Plentiful”), the lower part of the site is susceptible to flooding.  Land shaping was done for new accessible trails to bring visitors to the river’s edge for fishing and to reach the wooded trails.   Over 18km of hiking and biking trails meander through the park with suitable fitness levels for all abilities.  Design options included cantilevered decks on the river edge and upgrading of the bridge at the old mill site.  Although the site has trails and a playground it feels very passive with its integrated woodland setting.

The Province of PEI selected the Glenn Group in January 2016 for the design/build of a natural playground in the park. A large group picnic shelter was added to the scope along with an entire sign kiosk and bike parking. Glenn Group was separately engaged to design the trail system, landscaping, vehicular circulation and an entire signage system for the park which became the new model for the entire provincial park system. Glenn Group undertook the design, community consultation and tender document preparation while our partners constructed the play structures.

The project had many moving parts with separate trail construction being undertaken which had to match into the tendered portion of trail. Signage design review was by committee and fabricated by the provincial sign shop.