Rocky View County will consider a $45,000 request for a regional pathway system during budget deliberations early next year.
Councillors made the decision to look into spending the money for engineering design work on the path, located along the south side of Highway 8 from Bragg Creek to the City of Calgary, Nov. 20.
Designing the path will cost an estimated $65,000 to $75,000. The cost will be shared between Rocky View, Alberta TrailNet and possible other stakeholders, according to Jeff Quigley, the County’s municipal lands specialist. TrailNet has pledged $30,000 towards the design, which will include drawings of the proposed pathway.
Quigley said he has spoken to various cycling groups such as the Alberta Bicycle Association and the Elbow Valley Cycle Club, adding members of the organizations expressed interest in contributing to the cost.
The proposed 16-km pathway, whose total cost has not yet been determined, will be constructed when Alberta Transportation twins Highway 8 from 101 St. SW along the Rocky View and Calgary boundary to Highway 22 in the west.
Preliminary plans include a three-metre-wide paved pathway to run parallel to the Highway 8 road right-of-way, possible staging areas with parking, washrooms and picnic tables, signs that identify regional connections and sight lines at intersection points.
The project will be broken up into four parts: from the city of Calgary to Lott Creek Boulevard, Lott Creek Boulevard to Range Road 31, Range Road 31 to Range Road 32 and Range Road 32 to Highway 8/22 junction.
The construction is expected to start concurrently with the twinning to minimize disturbance in the area and to save money, explained Quigley.
Eventually, the pathway will connect with existing pathways in Calgary, west through the community of Elbow Valley and to the Highway 8/22 junction, a staff report explains. Long-term plans will link the trail to the TransCanada Trail System.
Alberta Transportation (AT) doesn’t yet have a date set for the twinning of Highway 8. The Province hasn’t identified the project in its three-year construction plan, but AT is in the process of creating detailed engineering plans, according to the staff report.
Councillor Lois Habberfield asked if AT would help build or pave the pathway, which could cost between $100 to $150 per metre.
Quigley said while the County received a letter of support from the minister of transportation, there hasn’t been a commitment for funds.
He said they are still in the project-planning stage but anticipates TransCanada trails will be a key player as the pathway is a critical linkage of the cross-country system.
Quigley said private donations and all levels of government grants will be investigated going forward.
Councillor Liz Breakey said she is excited for the pathway, noting it’s something she believes residents will take advantage of.
Habberfield noted the pathway would be a good location for commemorative benches to be placed.
“There’s no better place than along a pathway,” she added.
