Get set for another road closure in downtown Courtenay early next week.
The city says that crews are making steady progress on the Fitzgerald Corridor Cycling Expansion Project.
However, to expedite the project, the current closure on Fitzgerald Avenue between 5th and 6th Streets will be extended to 8th Street/Cumberland Road, for paving.
The closure is planned for this coming Monday and Tuesday between 7:00am and 5:00pm.
On those days, Fitzgerald Avenue between 5th and 8th, as well as the work zone on 6th Street, are expected to reopen in the evenings outside of work hours.
There will be a partial daytime reopening of the project corridor starting on Wednesday October 2, weather permitting.
The project will complete the missing link between the protected bike lanes on 5th Street and the painted bike lanes on Fitzgerald Avenue at Cumberland Road.
It will include:
- new painted bike lanes and road markings;
- signage;
- new pedestrian-controlled flashing beacons across Fitzgerald Avenue at 6th Street; and
- new curb extensions to shorten the crossing distance for pedestrians
During construction, commuters are asked to watch for traffic control personnel, drive with caution around crews, and follow all posted signage.
A second phase of the project will extend the Fitzgerald bike lane from 21st to 26th Streets, as well as add road markings to 19th Street.
Once completed, the project will connect the city’s downtown core to the Courtenay Riverway and Driftwood Mall, and provide a continuous north-south spine which will form the foundation of the cycling network on the west side of the city.
Work on the southern portion of Fitzgerald will start this fall.
The city got provincial funding for this project from the BikeBC program.
It’s a cost-sharing program that provides financial support for communities to create new cycling infrastructure and improve existing transportation networks.
Along with the Fitzgerald Corridor Cycling Expansion, the $227,655 grant will support a separate upcoming cycling network project on Hobson Avenue later this year.
