Rec corridor may be fast-tracked

The city's most heavily-used recreation corridor, along Abbott Street from City Park to Kelowna General Hospital, could be extended ahead of schedule.

New protected bike lanes are proposed for the twokilometre-long stretch from the hospital to BoyceGyro Park using “quick-build” infrastructure.

“Extending the Abbott Street active transportation corridor will link the downtown and Pandosy areas, improving access to parks, beaches, and amenities along the way,” Chad Williams, a senior city transportation engineer, said in a news release.

A public consultation process on the fast-track plan has been launched on the city’s website, and is open until June 6. The input will help shape the final design of the project, the city says.

Pending council approval, work to extend the recreation corridor’s protected bike lanes would start next year.

Active transportation corridors, like the one along Abbott Street and others on Ethel Street, Cawston Avenue, and Houghton Road, typically require costly and months-long construction projects.

Existing roads may be entirely rebuilt, and underground utility lines replaced at the same time, with new sidewalks, protected bike lanes, and landscaping amenities added before the road is re-opened to public use.

For example, a six-block stretch of Ethel Street between Harvey Avenue and Sutherland Avenue took seven months to rebuild in 2017, at a cost of $2.5 million.

The proposed Abbott Street extension, by contrast, has a projected cost of only $250,000. It would create a 7.5 km-long protected bike route that provides access to 24 waterfront parks.

With quick-build infrastructure, the city says, similar improvements to biking and pedestrian safety along Abbott Street can be delivered quicker at lower cost. Examples can include such things as the use of heavy planters to delineate bike lanes from vehicle lanes, curb extensions, and colourful striped buffers to separate cyclists, pedestrians, and cars.