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Major improvements in active transportation infrastructure will be underway soon in Kamloops, after the city was awarded a hefty grant from the province.

The money, $451,458 from the Active Transportation Infrastructure grant program, will be going toward building a multi-use pathway in Westsyde as part of a provincial strategy for greener transportation, and is 50% of the total cost of the project, according to a City of Kamloops media release issued, Sept. 28.

The pathway will be paved, 430 metres long and 3.6 m wide, and run between Westmount Drive and Batchelor Hills Drive. Other planned upgrades include intersection pavement markings, pathway lighting, pedestrian tactile surfaces and widened bus stop areas. The new multi-use path section would also provide connectivity to the future bike route facilities on Westmount Drive, Collingwood Drive and Batchelor Hills Drive.

Some residents have expressed concern over the lack of connective, safe bike lanes in the city.

City councillor Arjun Singh is an avid cycler and advocate for green transportation.

“I am active and passionate about encouraging more walking, riding and transit to get people out of single-use vehicles, to reduce emissions and increase health benefits,” Singh said in an earlier interview with iNFOnews. “We need to give people a way to do this safely as they are the most vulnerable folks on the roads.”

Singh said council recently applied for provincial grants to upgrade bike lanes in several sections of the city. He said the connections around the university and some other sections of town are not safe and that council is working on building on the current bike network as quickly as possible.

READ MORE: Sideswiped cyclist speaking out about road safety in Kamloops

“Safe, active transportation is one of our highest priorities,” transportation manager Irani Purvez said in the release. “We are pleased with the government’s continued support to invest in making our city more cycling, pedestrian, and transit friendly. The additional funding from the grant program allows us to accelerate the timelines on several key active transportation projects in the city.”

Construction is anticipated for 2022.

READ MORE: How this Kamloops man spreads the joy of biking to kids who can't afford them

The Westsyde Road Multi-Use Path Project is part of the north-south bike corridor that aims to complete a series of core routes in Kamloops’s active transportation network. Construction on the Summit-Downtown Connection, including protected bike lanes on 6 Avenue, which is another integral portion of the bike corridor, began in September. That project was also a successful recipient of government grant funding, said the release.

For more information about the province's funding announcement go here.

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