Richmond city council pressed pause on an $11.5 million bike lane project on Steveston Highway to see whether Williams Road would be a better location.
This was after questions were raised by the public and city councillors about the air quality on Steveston Highway.
The mayor suggested asking city staff to look at the feasibility of Williams Road compared to Steveston Highway, and the item was paused for now.
The question remains whether the $5 million in TransLink funding for the project could be used on Williams Road, something city staff will look into.
Coun. Alexa Loo, while supporting the referral to look at Williams Road, said she was still in favour of a bike lane on Steveston Highway, noting the speed zone is the same on both roads.
“You want to get people out of cars, this is how you do it,” she said.
Coun. Michael Wolfe, however, voted against referring the item back to staff, saying the proposed bike lane was “bold” and shouldn’t be delayed.
The three-metre-wide separated bike lane was proposed on the south side of Steveston Highway from No. 2 Road to Shell Road.
The original budget for the "multi-use pathway" – which is scheduled to be built this year – was about $9 million.
But when the city asked for bids, they all came in significantly over budget. In a report to city council, staff cited Inflation, a volatile construction industry and supply chain issues as reasons for the increase in costs.
TransLink has promised $5 million for the project, and the province is chipping in $500,000.
