The city of Port Coquitlam is seeking permission from BC Hydro to use land along the north side of Kingsway Avenue that is owned by the Crown corporation to build a trail.
The city's transportation manager Dave Currie said the route would dramatically improve the municipality's east-west cycling connection, linking the bike route at Broadway Street and Coast Meridian Road with downtown.
"The city has created very good north-south linkage, with Broadway and Coast Meridian," he said. "What we need to do now is improve our connections in the downtown area, particularly the downtown core."
If council approves the first phase of the route, it would run along a strip of land on the north side of Kingsway that is currently dedicated for underground gas lines. BC Hydro owns a majority of the land, although two small sections of the strip are owned by private businesses.
The first phase of the mixed-use trail is expected to cost $900,000, an amount Currie said was consistent with similar projects elsewhere in Metro Vancouver. If council approves the initiative, Currie expects the funding to be split between the city, TransLink and the provincial government.
"It is a high-quality facility," he said. "It is basically the equivalent of a new lane, only it is dedicated for mixed-use."
If the initial phase is built, Currie said it could open the door to a route extension from Broadway to the Mary Hill Bypass, linking with the Traboulay PoCo Trail and the Pitt River Bridge.
The entire project would take five years.
The proposal going to council consists of a 4 m trail with a safety fence between the path and the road. Boulevard drainage works and the restoration of soil and grass are also being considered.
