Victoria, BC– The Capital Regional District (CRD) Board has agreed to borrow up to $6.1 million to complete two sections of the E&N Rail Trail – Humpback Connector for completion by 2019.
A loan authorization bylaw will follow this decision for approval at a later date. The annual cost per average household to repay the loan is estimated to be $2.72 over a 15 year repayment period. Staff would continue to seek grant funding to support the construction of the trail and to offset costs.
The two sections will complete an additional 2.3 km of trail and provide residents and visitors with a 13.8 km continuous route from Jacklin Road in the rapidly-growing Westshore communities to Victoria.
One section is estimated to cost $3.63 million, and will consist of a 1 km section of trail from the railway crossing on Atkins Avenue to Savory School. The other section, is estimated to cost $2.49 million, and will consist of 1.3 km of trail in the City of Victoria linking Esquimalt Road to the Johnson Street bridge.
The E&N Rail Trail, for cycling and pedestrian use, is being constructed largely within the E&N rail corridor in a phased development. It has been funded largely through grants. Since the beginning of the project in 2007, almost $20 million in funding has been awarded to this $36 million total initiative.
A 3.6 km section of trail from Jacklin Road to Humpback Road in the City of Langford is slated for future development. No funding or time frame have been approved for this future phase yet. This final phase will complete the 17.4 km regional trail.
For more information, please visit www.crd.bc.ca/project/capital-projects/e-n-rail-trail
