New bike path promised
A project to make cycling easier is in the works for summer
Avid cyclist Geoff Hancock (left) attended an open house at the District of Maple Ridge on Feb. 21 and talked to the District’s Michael Eng.
Photograph by: Sylver McLaren , TIMES
Laity Street to 216th Street along Lougheed Highway is a section of road that has always been difficult for cyclists.
But, not for much longer. By the end of summer the 600 metres between the two intersections will be connected by a dedicated multi-use bike lane.
"It is a segment that is really challenging to use," Michael Eng, transportation technician at the District of Maple Ridge, said at an open house at municipal hall on Feb. 21.
"The project on a whole is great. The fact that this is a dedicated pathway is special," he added.
In May, the District of Maple Ridge intends to tender the project for construction. Then in the summer it will take approximately 12 weeks to construct and complete.
From Downtown Maple Ridge a cyclist will be able to ride to Pitt Meadows safely, said Russ Carmichael, director of operations for the District.
"It was totally legal to ride along there, but not someplace you might want to ride," Carmichael said about the current situation along Lougheed Highway.
The new project will include an asphalt two-way three-to four-metre multi-use path with a landscaped boulevard. It will have new lighting, signage and pavement markings, as well as a retaining wall, concrete curb and gutter, culvert extensions and in-stream works at McKenney Creek, drainage ditches, and a new storm sewer.
The cost of the project is $1,158,000. The District will put in $400,000, TransLink $270,000, and BC Bike, a provincial government program, will put in $488,000.
