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TransLink unveils nearly $4.8 million in Tri-Cities spending

TransLink invested $15 million into cycling paths and $5 million into walking paths across the Lower Mainland
Bike file
A man rides a bike along a dike in Port Coquitlam

TransLink has unveiled a full list of infrastructure spending under the banner of the 2019 TransLink Walking, Cycling and Roads Program, a project that this year has led to the construction or improvement of 76 projects and maintenance of 2,700 kilometres of roadways, according to the transportation authority.

The Tri-Cities has taken a share of the over $100 million spent across the Lower Mainland this year.

In Coquitlam, major past projects included a $460,000 multi-use pathway along the Evergreen Line Guideway between Barnet Highway and Town Centre Boulevard; a more than $1.7 million Lougheed Highway improvement project to improve safety and cycling options; and upwards of $1.1 million for a cycling greenway connecting Coquitlam Central Station to Chilko Drive.

This year, four projects were funded: a roughly $1.5 million project to add cycle tracks and improved pedestrian facilities (two-metre sidewalks and walking connections to transit stops) between Pinetree Way and Westwood Street; a $600,000 walking and cycling route running east-west parallel to Austin Avenue and Foster Avenue; about $350,000 for road improvements at the intersection of David Avenue and Pipeline Road; and nearly half a million dollars to construct a new multi-use path at various sections along Mariner Way. 

In Port Coquitlam, major past projects included $920,000 to construct a pedestrian and cyclist path between downtown, Elks Park and Central elementary school, as well as a $5 million project to replace the Coquitlam River Bridge. In 2019, two projects have been funded: a $50,000 multi-use path along Prairie Avenue from Coast Meridian to Fremont and a 1.5 metre sidewalk, curb and gutter on the north side of Salisbury at a cost of $67,000.

Some of the bigger past projects in Port Moody include the nearly $1 million Murray Street bike extension project, a roughly $700,000 Barnet Highway overpass bridge deck replacement between Dewdney Trunk and Ioco Road, and an over $300,000 Moody Street pedestrian and cycling overpass. 

The two projects funded this year are both designed to improve cycling: the nearly $1 million to improve traffic signal crossings along the St. Johns Street mixed-use pathway and $600,000 to construct an off-street bike lane on Murray street with two signalized intersections.

According to a recent TransLink study looking at the difference in how people got around between 2011 and 2017, the percentage of people who walked and cycled went up by 4%. However, overall 2019 investments heavily favoured work on road networks, operation, and maintenance, together accounting for $79 million of the roughly $100 million program. 

By comparison, TransLink invested $15 million into cycling paths and $5 million into walking paths across the Lower Mainland.