CANMORE – Work will begin to realign a popular stretch of pathway this to year to improve safety and better connect the pathway system in Canmore.
The West Bow River pathway – also known as the Three Sisters pathway – will have work on multiple segments between the Bow River bridge and Van Horne.
Among the plans are to replace the Prospect and Homestead stormwater bridges, realign portions of the pathway and regrade and reconstruct part of the storm wall near the Prospect bridge.
“The West Bow River Pathway project is a key piece of the connectivity of our overall network and it will support the continued improvement of local and other key major connections,” said Trevor Reeder, a project manager in the Town of Canmore’s engineering department at the March 15 committee of the whole meeting.
The work is designed to support the Town’s integrated transportation master plan, which gives improved options for people moving around the community beyond relying on vehicles. It also aligns with the municipality's commitment to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas emissions.
As part of the integrated transportation plan, the goal is to have 40 per cent of travel done by an active mode by 2030. When the plan was released in 2018, 80 per cent of trips were done by vehicles.
“The active modes network is a crucial variable in supporting our mode shift targets and enhancing the transportation equity,” Reeder said.
The West Bow River pathway is considered a crucial link between the Three Sisters area and the west side of Canmore.
The project budget is about $1.5 million, with the bulk of the cost going towards the replacement of the Prospect bridge and Homesteads stormwater bridge. The Prospect bridge – a three-metre wooden bridge built in 1996 – is anticipated to be replaced this summer or fall and the bulk of the pathway work would be completed in 2023.
The budget for paving hasn’t yet been set and would need to be considered in a future capital budget.
Andy Esarte, the Town of Canmore's manager of engineering, noted the importance of providing as many transit options for residents and visitors as possible to emphasize not just using vehicles to travel.
He said the Town will also work with the Canmore Hotel and Lodging Association and the Canmore Downtown BIA to promote the pathway network to visitors in the community.
“We’ve got great pathways. It’s a matter of providing them with the information and collaborate," he said.
After housing, the biggest expense for Canadians is transportation. With many families reliant on two vehicles, the added insurance, cost and maintenance costs can add up.
Coun. Joanna McCallum highlighted how with growing costs, owning a second vehicle is a “wealthy pursuit”.
As part of the Town’s efforts to ease affordability issues faced by many residents, an emphasis has been placed on providing additional transit options. The Canmore Roam transit service will increase on both weekdays and Sundays – with the money to do so coming from paid parking revenues.
The Roam local route 5 will split into 5a and 5b on April 4 to help better improve the service on both sides of the Trans-Canada Highway, particularly in the Cougar Creek area.
Statistics show that the regional Banff-Canmore route has seen an uptick in ridership after plummeting at the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. The local route also surpassed its 2019 ridership numbers in both January and February and is trending towards record ridership for March and April.
Eight local bus stops will also see concrete improvements and 16 shelters will be added to stops.
Reeder said the West Bow River pathway will be easier to maintain and use throughout the year when completed, while also increasing connectivity in the community.
“The delivery of the project is intended to support our year-round active network, provide people with safe continuous all ages all access and increase the functional capacity of our active facilities and support those mode shift goals,” he said.
