Feds promise $6M for multi-use path in Colwood

A preliminary rendering of the Lagoon Beach pathway is shown: (City of Colwood)

The federal government has promised $6-million in funding for the City of Colwood’s plan to build a multi-use pathway at Esquimalt Lagoon.

The funding was part of a larger announcement of $103.5 million in federal funding to support 45 infrastructure projects across British Columbia.

The City of Colwood will also contribute $700,000 to the project.

"This accessible multi-use pathway will allow visitors to enjoy the spectacular waterfront in Colwood while protecting sensitive ecological and archaeological shoreline areas," said Colwood Mayor Doug Kobayashi.

"The pathway will inspire people to get outdoors and active as they walk or cycle from Colwood’s town centre to the waterfront and beyond to the vibrant seaside village envisioned at Royal Beach," he said.

The project will include natural infrastructure to safeguard the peninsula from sea-level rise and the restoration of riparian vegetation in the salt marsh.

There is no expected date for the work to begin as the city has yet to put out a request for proposal.

Other projects across the province that received federal funding included new fire halls, water and wastewater treatment plant upgrades, airport expansions, and bridge and road upgrades.

The funding comes from the Canada Community-Building Fund, formerly known as the federal Gas Tax Fund.

The fund is administered by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).