Get ready for a more seamless Galloping Goose Regional Trail.
The City of Colwood is paving the way and announcing a $4.9 million overpass to make the trail-going experience easier for pedestrians and cyclists alike.
According to the city, a $3.6 million Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program grant will help build the new pedestrian and cycling bridge over Sooke Road near Ocean Boulevard.
Colwood officials say the 55-kilometre Galloping Goose trail, owned and maintained by the Capital Regional District, stretches from Victoria to Sooke and attracts around 200,000 users each year.
But Victoria-bound, when the trail meets Wale Road in Colwood, users are forced to detour along Wale Road to Sooke Road, where they must cross at a traffic light and then travel down a Sooke Road sidewalk to reconnect with the trail.
It’s a hassle that prompted city staff to take action, with both Colwood’s 2015 Transportation Master Plan and 2018 Official Community Plan identifying the need for a bridge.
“Picture a beautifully designed bridge at the gateway to Colwood with cyclists cruising safely above the traffic on a gorgeous, seamless ride through Colwood and beyond to other areas of the region,” Mayor Rob Martin said Monday.
“I’m confident this bridge will significantly boost the number of cyclists on the West Shore, which will support health and wellbeing, reduce traffic congestion and help us reach our climate goals.”
Preliminary designs suggest the bridge will need to be 38-metres long by 4.1-metres wide, with railings, retaining walls, fencing, lighting, and landscaping helmed by natural elements, the city says.
“Earning a federal grant of this magnitude—$3.6 million—requires a tremendous amount of pre-planning and preparation,” Martin added, noting funding set aside by the city will cover the remaining $1.4 million in project costs.
City staff say they’re already working with federal, provincial and regional partners to begin scoping the project as they eye a 2023 completion date.
