THUNDER BAY – The Province of Ontario is providing funding to the City of Thunder Bay to build a new 850 metre bike trail from Golf Links Road connecting to Confederation College through the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program (OMCIP).
The City of Thunder Bay, along with Confederation College, applied to the program for $325,000 in matched funding. The value of this project is estimated at $650,000, and is considered a highly-leveraged project, with the province providing 50% of the core funding.
“Our government continues to support the infrastructure needs of Ontario communities. Active living and infrastructure that supports and enables active lifestyles is important for many different reasons,” said Bill Mauro, MPP Thunder Bay-Atikokan. “I’m pleased our City has been successful in accessing $325,000 for our Cycling fund and look forward to the extension of the Matson Trail.”
Thunder Bay’s proposal, called ‘Connecting the Matson Trail to Confederation College’, extends the new multi-use trail on Golf Links Road south, then into College property to connect to the existing trails along the McIntyre River, Ford St., into the University.
“Confederation College is proud to offer a park-style campus, including many trails, for our students, employees and visitors,” said Jim Madder, President of Confederation College. “We are pleased to partner with the City of Thunder Bay to bring this new trail to campus. This will contribute to increasing our accessibility and supporting our commitment to foster a safe and sustainable environment for our students.”
The City partnered with Confederation College on this application to help improve pedestrian and cyclist connectivity while improving safety for all users. The new trail will also link together existing trails to create new north-south, off-road cycling and walking routes.
In 2015, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation committed $10-million dollars over two years for cycling infrastructure in Ontario. Thunder Bay was one of 151 municipalities in Ontario to submit a proposal to OMCIP and was one of 37 successful applicants. Thunder Bay was awarded the maximum amount available through this program.
“The development of a new trail is really exciting, and we want to thank the Province for this funding so that we can address a big gap in our trail network,” said Mayor Keith Hobbs. “We’re so happy to be working with the College to make a new, safe crossing over the McIntyre River for pedestrians and cyclists.”
The trail is scheduled for construction in 2017.
