New bike trails planned

Commuter cycling program to fund new Lansdowne St. trail, extend Crawford Trail

The city’s about to get $841,500 from the provincial government to help complete two cycling trail projects.

The money is coming from the Ontario Municipal Commuter Cycling program, which is designed to help cities build cycling infrastructure.

The projects are expected to be done in the next two years.

They include:

Lansdowne St. trail:

A new multi-use trial will be built on the south side of Lansdowne St., between River Rd. and Ashburnham Dr., to connect the recently constructed trail between Ashburnham Dr. and Willowcreek Plaza.

The province has offered $250,000 to help pay for this project, which is a little less than half the full cost, states a new city staff report.

The city will fund the remaining $280,000 toward this project, states the report; the trail is expected to cost $530,000 in total to build.

The report also states that there are future plans for a trail through the Navy Club to Beavermead Park, as well as a new trail bridge across the Otonabee River on the city’s newly acquired rail corridor.

Meanwhile the Trent-Severn Waterway is also planning a trail across the dam at Lock 19, the report adds.

Crawford Trail extension:

This project will convert the city’s newly-acquired rail line between Monaghan Rd. and Townsend St. into a multi-use trail, states the staff report.

The project is expected to cost $1 million in total. The province is expected to provide about $591,500 toward it, the report states, and the city will pay the remaining $408,000.

Construction of this trail is expected to begin this year between Romaine St. and Perry St., the report states.

In 2019, construction of the new trail is planned between Perry St. and Townsend St., as well as between Monaghan Rd. and Romaine St.

City councillors will review the staff report for the first time on Tuesday evening at a meeting at City Hall (they meet Tuesday next week, due to the Family Day holiday on Monday).

The Examiner’s website has livestreaming and tweets from the meeting.

It begins at 5:15 p.m. at City Hall.

CLIFFORD SKARSTEDT/EXAMINER FILES Students and staff from École Monseigneur-Jamot take part in a bicycle ride along the Rotary Trail next to Armour Rd. on May 29, 2015. The city is getting provincial funding for two new trail projects.