Photo: City of Kamloops

The location of the Westsyde multi-use path. The City of Kamloops announced Tuesday it had received funds from the provincial government to help pay for the project.

The provincial government has awarded grant funding to the City of Kamloops to help construct a multi-use pathway in Westsyde, according to an announcement from city staff.

Purvez Irani, the city’s transportation manager, said in a statement that grant funds such as the $451,458 provided by the province will allow the city to “accelerate the timelines” on active transportation infrastructure projects.

“Safe, active transportation is one of our highest priorities. We are pleased with the government’s continued support to invest in making our city more cycling, pedestrian and transit-friendly,” Irani said.

According to the city, these funds will cover 50 per cent of the cost of building the pathway.

The project in Westsyde involves the installation of a multi-use pathway to the west of Westsyde Road between Westmount Drive and Batchelor Hills Drive.

The city said upgrades to the road will include intersection pavement markings, lighting, pedestrian tactile surfaces and widened bus stop areas.

The new pathway will extend an existing multi-use path that runs along Westsyde Road, and will provide connectivity to future bike routes along Westmount Drive, Collingwood Drive and Batchelor Hills Drive.

The city said it anticipates construction will begin in 2022.

This is the second grant in recent months given to the Tournament Capital to fund active transportation projects.

In July, the city announced it received $4 million in provincial and federal government funds, allowing staff to fast-track construction of the Summit-Downtown Active Transportation Connection project.