The federal government has pledged more than $3.3 million to support a couple of bicycle-related infrastructure projects in the central core area of Sudbury.
The money is to be spent on the final section of the Paris Street-Notre Dame Street Bikeway that runs from Van Horne Street in the downtown area, north to Wilma Street in the Flour Mill.
The announcement was made by Sudbury MP Vivian Lapointe on behalf of Infrastructure Minister Dominic Leblanc. Lapointe said creating active transportation infrastructure is part of creating inclusive and sustainable communities.
"The network of bike routes, trails and footbridges provide convenient and equitable ways for residents of all ages and abilities to get around their communities and beyond. And that means benefiting the environment and everyone," Lapointe said.
She added that new bicycle routes offer environmental benefits, economic savings and even promote tourism for the city.
"It offers personal cost savings for people and plays an essential role in promoting social equity amongst vulnerable Canadians," Lapointe said. "Reduced noise pollution, improved air quality and lower greenhouse gas emissions are all environmental benefits of active transportation. And it's a part of why our government is investing in supportive infrastructure."
While the bulk of the funding will be spent on actually creating new bicycle lanes, a smaller funding grant would be used for signage and wayfinding improvements.
Lapointe added that the funding would improve the quality of life for all Sudbury residents.
Mayor Paul Lefebvre said he was pleased with the announcement.
"These projects … certainly benefit so many of our residents here in Greater Sudbury and in particular from the announcement as was mentioned. Certainly, the Paris-Notre Dame bikeway was identified in the city's transportation master plan as a spine to connect our cycling network from Regent Street to Turner Avenue, a total of nine kilometres,” the mayor said. “So far, the city has built 3.15 kilometres, so we are 35 per cent of the way there."
He said the new funding will bring the route up to a 67-per-cent completion rate.
"We talk a lot about the importance of active transportation, but this shows we're just not talking the talk. We're also walking the walk, biking the bike; I guess we're rolling the wheels in the right direction," Lefebvre said.
"Investing in infrastructure is key to promoting healthy lifestyle choices is an investment in the well-being of our community."
Lefebvre talked about his own experiences many years ago when he would ride his bike to work along Paris Street. He said riding past the old general hospital could be challenging and not as safe as he would like.
The plan for the new bicycle routes will include physically separated cycling lanes on either side of the roadways with upgrades to sidewalks, curbs, crosswalks, signage and lighting, said the news release from the City of Greater Sudbury.
In addition to the $3.3M funding for bicycle lanes, an additional $50,000 is being provided by the feds to develop "wayfinding guidelines" for coordinated signage and pavement markings.
"The project will help make it easier for residents of all ages and abilities to navigate the streets and trails available throughout the city," said the release.
Greater Sudbury CAO Ed Archer, who emceed the event, thanked the speakers and said the funding was "very welcome news" for the municipality.
With respect to the project timeline, the municipality’s project team is currently finalizing the engineering work. The hope is that is the project will be tendered early in 2023 will the intent of starting construction in the spring or summer next year, said communications
The project team is currently finalizing the engineering work for the contract and hope to tender in Q1 of 2023 with the intent of starting construction in the Spring/Summer of 2023, said municipal communications advisor Kelli Sheppard.
Len Gillis covers health care and mining for Sudbury.com.