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RMOW eyeing Valley Trail expansion

Money budgeted to connect Cheakamus Crossing, Rainbow to network

 

The municipality's vision for a trail system connecting all of Whistler is coming a little closer to fruition.

The Resort Municipality of Whistler will complete two Valley Trail expansion projects next year. Money has been set aside in the 2011 budget to complete the Spring Creek to Cheakamus crossing path, which has been in progress throughout the fall but is currently shut down due to weather.

According to the municipality the contractor was not able to get the work completed before the snow started to fall. Due to the high fire risk for most of the summer the project was delayed at the outset.

While the goal was to complete the trail this year, the municipality acknowledged in September that paving might be delayed if it got too cold or wet to proceed. A usable gravel trail was expected to be in place for residents, however that was delayed until next year as well.

There is also Valley Trail money in the municipal budget for a bridge connection around the 19 Mile Creek subdivision, between the first and second entrances to Alpine Meadows and parallel to the highway bridge, that will allow residents from the Rainbow subdivision to connect to the Valley Trail system without having to cross the highway. Construction will begin in 2011.

There is funding set aside for trail reconstruction projects throughout the 35-km system to repair sections that have worn out, undergone settlement or have asphalt cracking.

At the Nov. 16 council meeting, there was some discussion amongst council and staff about a Brio-Blueberry trail connection to bring pedestrians and riders to the lights at Blueberry. Two options were presented: a path along the highway, or through the neighbourhood and running up to the lights.

Dave Patterson, RMOW Manager of Park and Village Operations, said a trail running through the neighbourhood is not a realistic option because it would have to be built on private land. The province gave its approval to the expansion along the highway as long as there was room to expand Highway 99 if they chose to do so sometime in the future. However, Patterson said both options are moot at this point as there's no funding identified for it in the Five Year Capital Plan.

It would be put on a list of other Valley Trail expansions that the RMOW is eyeing, including an area at the Cyprus subdivision, across from Nicklaus North, to connect with the stretch of trail built near the transit facility. Currently the trail by the transit facility doesn't really go anywhere.

The proposed connection would go from Meadow Park along the end of Cyprus, over or under the railroad tracks and through that next piece of property that attaches to the transit site and running to the crossing at Blackcomb Way.

Patterson said construction depends on when developers move their projects along.

"Everything is in play, in that the routes are aligned, it's been identified, it's part of the development permits, it's contingent upon when they (the owners) develop that middle parcel," Patterson said.

"It's a project that evolves as you go," he said. "The way it happens is a lot of the Valley Trail is on private land and only as people come forward to develop their private land are we able to bring up the discussions of, well, you want to develop your land and we really want to put a Valley Trail through here, it's advantageous both to you guys and to us. You end up with mutually agreeable situations."

At this point, the municipality has "pretty much beaten up most routes that are feasible." He said the goal has always been to connect all of Whistler by the trail system but the terrain has made it difficult. Even with the gaps in the system, Patterson - who has been working for the RMOW for 27 years and has seen the development of most of the trails - said he's happy with the routes. Even if the RMOW had the money to redo the entire Valley Trail system he'd keep the layout as it is, with "a couple of tweaks here and there."

One of these tweaks might be connecting Tamarisk and Function Junction through Miller Creek, although right now the trail that exists is on private land that's not currently on the table for any development.

"We know about it. I've done a complete assessment of it, I know everything about that," Patterson said. "We call it Miller Creek but there's this one piece of property that is in the way as far as it's privately owned and they're not interested in developing it, so we don't have an official link. Even thought the trail exists, it's unofficial."

He added that because the existing main trunk of the Valley Trail is on the opposite side of the highway coming into Spring Creek, where the elementary school is, and because most of the population is on the east side of the highway, it made more sense to build the trail between Cheakamus Crossing and Spring Creek.

Another problem area is between Creekside and Tamarisk. Although there is trail through Bayshores the steep hills are inconvenient for riders heading toward Function, who have no other choice than to ride or walk down the highway. At night, with no lights along the highway, this can be quite dangerous. But Patterson said a connection on the west side of the highway, along Alpha Lake, would be very expensive and it would be in the highway right of way.

Patterson said the Ministry of Transportation likes to keep its options for highway expansion open and will only approve trails parallel to the highway if there's viable place to move the trail should the highway be widened.

"Highways will or sometimes can accommodate trails within the right of way, but typically what they like to see is that we have an option. They're somewhat willing to accommodate us as long as we have a back up option if they want to expand their highway," Patterson said.