A proposed active transportation route between Nelson and Castlegar would be built in stages and could take years to complete, but organizers say it would be a boon to small communities along the way.
The 50-plus kilometre route would separate bikers and walkers from cars, and would use a variety of already-existing pathways and routes to do this, including, perhaps, parts of the CPKC (CP Rail) rail right-of-way.
"We never intended that someone would just ride their bike on a regular basis from Nelson to Castlegar," says Solita Work of the West Kootenay Cycling Coalition (WKCC).
"There's tons of people that, say, live in Glade or Thrums who commute to Selkirk College. We know there's tons of people that live in Sproule Creek that go to Nelson. We're going to be able to service people like that. They'll be able to get around without having to drive. They can enjoy a nice walk or a bike ride, and get there safely."
The draft plan divides the proposed route into six segments and recommends they be built in order of their feasibility: first Glade/Tarrys and then Nelson, Castlegar, Thrums, Slocan Junction, and Taghum/Bonnington.
All six segments are described and mapped in a 155-page report entitled Castlegar-Nelson Active Transportation Corridor Vision Plan.
The draft plan was sponsored by the WKCC and funded by a $50,000 grant from the federal government's Infrastructure Canada Active Transportation Fund. The federal government requires grant applicants to have a municipal government partner to apply for the money and administer it. The Regional District of Central Kootenay took on this role in 2022.
The study was researched and written by the Calgary-based Watt Consulting Group in conjunction with a planner from the RDCK, Work said.
The cost of all six segments combined is estimated at $65 million including a 40 per cent contingency. That price tag does not include elements such as bicycle parking, benches, public amenities, enhancements at the proposed mobility hubs, and the ongoing maintenance of the facilities and amenities.
The estimated cost of just the first segment (Nelson to Taghum Hall) is more than $13.5 million including a 40 per cent contingency. and not counting the cost of constructing a foot bridge at Taghum.
The Nelson to Taghum Hall segment would start at the Nelson Visitor Centre and run up Railway Street and Government Road to Highway 3A.
From there, a separated multi-use path would run along the north side of the highway as far as the approach to the Taghum Bridge, where it would cross the highway and proceed up the south side of Granite Road to the remnants of the old Taghum bridge, over which a foot bridge would be built on the existing structural supports.
The proposed route would cross the new bridge to Taghum Hall, where there would be a "mobility hub," offering vehicle parking, transit access, washrooms, and other amenities. There would be several such hubs on the way to Castlegar.
The draft report includes similar details for the five other segments. It appears in the materials for the Aug. 15 RDCK board meeting, and the WKCC and Watt Consulting will present it to the board at its Sept. 12 meeting. Work is hoping the board will adopt the plan and help her organization apply for funding to implement it.
"A lot of plans just get shelved, and in theory they look great, but then there is never any action on them," Work says. "And we want to make sure that doesn't happen. So as an advocacy group for active transportation, we're going to be pushing to implement that plan."
Based on the results of a survey that received 542 responses and on a series of six open houses, Work says she believes the plan is popular and that people would use it for recreation, fitness, commuting and connecting between communities.
One of the priorities in the draft plan is safety and separation.
"Safety was defined as the route feeling safe from traffic and personal harm, and separation was defined as routes that offer dedicated space and separation from motor vehicles," the report states. "This was an important finding because the most direct route, often along Highway 3A, may not offer users the feeling of safety and separation due to restricted right of way and high vehicle volumes and vehicle speeds."
Taghum to Bonnington
Segment 2 would connect the new Taghum foot bridge and the community of Taghum to Beasley and Bonnington.
The westward route would follow the CPKC rail line from the Taghum Hall, with offshoots to access Taghum Frontage Road and Curtis Road at Beasley. The highway would not be feasible here for the bike route because it would have to be widened to accommodate a separated lane. Instead, the route would proceed along the rail line with a bridge required to cross Falls Creek.
Work said her group has not yet talked to CPKC and she says this could take some negotiation, which is why Segment 2 will be tackled later in the priority sequence.
The route would then switch to Corra Lynn Road and would share that road with vehicles. Where Corra Lynn Road meets the highway, there would be an access crossing to Lower Bonnington Road, but the main route would exit Corra Lynn Road and follow a historic highway right-of-way along the Fortis transmission line, and then join a Fortis industrial access road.
Works' attitude to the draft plan combines patience for the long haul and eagerness to get started.
"We know that there are certain segments we can start with already ... Nelson to Taghum, I think putting in that pathway is going to be relatively straightforward there. There's a bit of infrastructure we have to put in place, but it would serve a few thousand households.
"There would be better access for Blewett residents going to Taghum Hall. It would probably reduce the amount of parking that's required for Taghum beach and park, because people be able to access it easily across the river. It would reduce traffic going into Nelson, because it would be just such a nice, flat, easy to ride route."
