The City of Duncan’s project to install protected bike lanes with concrete buffers along each side of Coronation Avenue has been delayed for the second time.
CAO Peter de Verteuil told council at its meeting on Sept. 9 that the detailed engineering design part of the project has been reassigned to another engineering consultant, meaning the project won’t be completed by Sept. 30, as planned.
“We were getting a few too many delays there so we had an extension to the project’s deadline to Sept. 30 and we’ll need a further extension now, and that has been requested of the granter (the BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Fund),” he said.
The Fund granted the city $500,000 for the project last year, and the city is kicking in at least $380,000 to help cover the full cost, but the Fund stipulated when it granted the money to the city that construction of the bike lanes must be completed by March, 2024, in accordance with the grant program’s criteria.
But the detailed engineering designs for the project were behind schedule, and the city asked for an extension to Sept. 30 earlier this summer, which was granted at the time.
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.
Coun. Garry Bruce said there has already been extensive drawings and designs developed for the project and asked if that work can be built upon.
De Verteuil said the drawings and designs that city has received so far have been paid for by the municipality, and that those designs will be handed over to the new engineering consultant to continue on with the final design stages of the project.
“So there shouldn’t have to be any designing from scratch,” he said.
Bruce asked Brian Murphy, the city's director of public works and engineering, what the new timelines for the project will be.
Murphy said the first step is to see if the Fund will grant another extension.
“It’s in their hands to grant us an extension and if they don’t, then, unfortunately, we won’t have the funding to continue with the project at this time,” he said.
“But, hopefully, they will grant an extension and the new engineering firm is optimistic that, if we proceed, we can complete everything this fall.”
