A $1.3 million (including GST) upgrade to make 208th St. in Langley more cycling-friendly will include sidewalk widening, bridge deck modifications and a culvert extension, and tree planting along with street lights and traffic signal modifications between 52A Ave. and Fraser Hwy.
It was unanimously approved at a special meeting of council on Monday, Aug. 16, called to award the contract so work could get rolling in time to meet a TransLink deadline for completion by Dec. 31.
Three-quarters of the cost will be covered by TransLink under their Bicycle Infrastructure Capital Cost Sharing (BICCS) and Major Road Network & Bike (MRNB) grant programs, Hirod Gill, manager of engineering services, explained.
Langley City will spend $1.3 million to upgrade 208th Street with cycling lanes between 52A Ave. and Fraser Highway. (Langley City graphic)
Councillor Paul Albrecht called the upgrade “long overdue.”
“This has been a problem stretch from a cycling perspective for quite some time,” Albrecht remarked.
“It’s not a comfortable place to ride.”
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Langley bike shops still swamped by would-be riders
Coun. Nathan Pachal said the contract will “fill a missing gap in the cycling network.”
“This section of road is hazardous for people cycling with no shoulder and an extremely high curb,” Pachal commented.
“Most people ride on the sidewalk, which creates a safety concern for people walking as there is no way to leave the sidewalk without going over the steep hill or into traffic.”
READ ALSO: TransLink providing $125M to upgrade Metro Vancouver walkways, roads
Low bidder on the contract, 644230 BC Ltd., has not previously worked for the City, but has successfully completed similar projects for Burnaby and Coquitlam, Gill noted, adding those municipalities “indicated they have had good experiences with the contractor’s performance.”
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