Construction should start next year on the "missing link" to the city's bike path.
That's the distance between Gormanville Rd./Main St. West intersection and the west end of the Kate Pace Pathway on Memorial Drive. An exact route still hasn't been determined. The route is not without controversy as Gorman St. residents have objected to the path going down their street.
They say their roadway is too narrow for the addition of a bike path.
See: Not in my front yard
City Council will be asked to approve the awarding of a contract in the amount of $82,240 to D.M. Wills Associates for engineering services for the West Link Pathway Environmental Assessment & Design.
Engineering services are required for an Environmental Assessment and design for construction of a new multi-use recreational pathway.
The new pathway will be 3 to 4 metres wide with a granular base and an asphalt surface.
The Environmental Assessment and design will examine alternative alignments for the pathway, including a signalized pedestrian crossing on Memorial Drive.
An Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program grant for the design and construction of $325,000 was approved, with the City contributing an additional $400,000.
The project represents the final piece of a recreational pathway connecting the north and south ends of the City of North Bay says the staff report.
"Over the past eight years, portions of the pathway were constructed on Gormanville Road from Main West to McKeown Avenue, on College Drive from Gormanville Road to the College/University, on Booth Road from Marshall Avenue to Lakeshore Drive, and an 850 m section on Lakeshore Drive from Booth Road easterly. In addition to the completion of the pathway within the city, the pathway also forms part of the Voyageur Cycling Route."
