Image Credit: City of Kamloops

By James Peters

Kamloops Council

Council gives green light to grant application for pathway along Summit Drive

Feb 11, 2020 | 5:23 PM

KAMLOOPS — The City of Kamloops is putting plans in motion for a multi-use path along Summit Drive in Upper Sahali.

The $2 million path would better accomodate bicycles and would connect the top of Xget’tem’ Trail near Notre Dame Drive to Whiteshield Crescent South.

Council has approved an application for a $500,000 provincial grant to help build the trail.

“Your trail network is only as good as the connectedness of the trails — so getting people between where they live, work and play to other parts of the town,” said Mayor Ken Christian. “When we have an investment like the Xget’tem’ Trail, it’s advisable to start to put the tentacles from that out into the community.”

The project could be completed as early as next year, regardless of if the grant application is successful.

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Culturally appropriate food goes beyond the ingredients on a plate

11h ago

Two and Out

PETERS: Whether building up or tearing down, Kamloops is what you make it

Dec 13, 2024

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: How to reduce food waste in Kamloops during the festive season

Dec 13, 2024

“When it came down to choosing a project for the grant, one of the big criteria is they want the construction completed by 2021,” noted Deven Matkowski, the City of Kamloops engineering manager. “When these programs come up, we usually are picking projects that we already have some momentum with and have started design on.”

The Summit Drive multi-use pathway is near the top of the City’s Transportation Master Plan, considered both “short-term” and “high priority”.

While supporting the project, Councillor Bill Sarai warned he believes it is a “want” as opposed to a “need”, and encouraged council and staff to emphasize building new sidewalks leading around elementary schools in areas where none exist now.

“I hope we start prioritizing our elementary schools and really think about the children,” said Sarai. “If you think about children in Grades Two to Five, they walk to school, they’re playing around, they’re shoving each other, they’re playing tag… the last thing sometimes on their minds is a car coming by behind them or in front of them.”

Image Credit: City of Kamloops