The City of Duncan’s project to install protected bike lanes with concrete buffers along each side of Coronation Avenue has been delayed.
Peter de Verteuil, Duncan’s CAO, told council at its meeting on June 17 that detailed engineering designs for the project are still ongoing, so the bike lanes weren't completed by March, 2024, as was planned.
The BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Fund granted the city $500,000 for the project last year, and the city is kicking in $380,000 to help cover the full cost, but the BCAT stipulated when it granted the funding to the city that construction of the bike lanes must be completed by March, 2024, in accordance with the grant program’s criteria.
De Verteuil said BCAT has agreed to extend the project deadline to Sept. 30, 2024, but another extension will likely be needed.
“The engineering design is not progressing as timely as hoped,” he said.
The installation of the bike lanes on Coronation Avenue has been identified as one of the highest priority active transportation projects in the city.
The bike lanes are intended to create a major east-west cycling corridor across sections of the city where no major east-west connection currently exists.
Once built, the bike lanes will ensure cyclists of all ages and abilities can travel safely between the downtown core, through the Coronation neighbourhood, and to the commercial centre along the Trans-Canada Highway.
In future phases, the overall plan is for the Coronation Avenue bike lanes project to eventually extend the full length of Coronation Avenue from downtown, across the TCH, and east to Trunk Road.