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Whistler council endorses BikeBC grant

Council brief: Valley Trail safety review nearing completion
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PATH PLANNING A presentation slide showing the plans for the Valley Trail improvements at the Whistler Golf Club. Photo by Braden Dupuis

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is seeking provincial funds to assist with a Valley Trail upgrade at the Whistler Golf Club.

At its Feb. 12 meeting, council endorsed a grant application for $212,985 to the BikeBC infrastructure funding program to pay for the project.

The area in question is highly used, said parks and trails supervisor Lorne Russel in a presentation to council.

“I’m sure at this point we’re well over a thousand (people) daily through there, and over 350,000 annually,” Russell said.

Last year, the Resort Municipality of Whistler initiated a comprehensive Valley Trail safety review (expected to be finalized in the next month or so), which identified the area near the Whistler Golf Club as a “primary area for improvement,” Russell said.

“We have had a couple of incidences in that area, (with) cyclists and pedestrians and vehicle traffic,” he said.

The project includes 185 metres of new, grade-separated Valley Trail, improved crosswalk lighting, vehicle safety barriers, improved wayfinding signage, landscape improvements and more.

The total project cost is estimated at $307,980.

“If the grant is successful, the province would contribute $212,985, the RMOW would contribute $94,995,” Russell said.

If the grant is unsuccessful, the municipality will look to complete the project in phases over three years.

The RMOW has included $125,000 annually for the next four years in the proposed 2019-2023 projects list (made up entirely of provincial Resort Municipality Initiative funds).

Priority areas for improvement include the aforementioned Whistler Golf Club connection, the Highway 99 crossing at Nesters Road, the Alpha Lake Park/Highway 99 curb separation, at Millar Pond Park and from Rainbow Park to Alta Lake Road.