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Two regional parks, two new bridges, and a week of orange pylons in the Central Okanagan.

Starting today, Monday, October 5, crews begin replacing the vehicle bridge at Bertram Creek Regional Park.

The bridge itself will be closed during construction, but the rest of the park stays open to visitors.

Over at the Johns Family Nature Conservancy Regional Park, work has been underway since late September on a new vehicle bridge over Lebanon Creek, replacing the aging culvert crossing.

A portion of Elk Trail and the Chute Lake Road parking lot are closed there while crews work; the remainder of the park is open.

Both projects are expected to be wrapped up by mid-October.

"While visitors may experience some temporary disruptions, these projects will improve important park infrastructure and help support safe, reliable access for years to come," said Tamara Oljaca, the Regional District's manager of Parks Infrastructure and Visitor Services.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan manages more than 2,100 hectares of parkland, 86 kilometres of designated trails, and 30 regional parks.

Keeping that much infrastructure in working order is the unglamorous core of local government.

No ribbon-cuttings for a replaced culvert — just trails that stay open and bridges that stay safe.

It is worth noting what this project is: maintenance of assets taxpayers already own.

The least exciting money in the budget is often the best spent.

Bertram Creek's shoreline and the Johns Family conservancy are the quiet gems of the regional system — the places locals love precisely because they are not crowded.

Deferred maintenance is how small problems become expensive ones, so catching up now beats rebuilding later.

If you are heading out this week, respect the closures, follow the posted signs, and give the crews room to work.

The parks will be better for it by mid-October.