Community members are invited to celebrate the official opening of the Agnes Street Greenway this weekend.
The $3.2-million infrastructure project includes includes a two-way protected lane for cycling and rolling, new landscaping and trees, a rain garden, a dog parklet, seating and bike racks, a water fountain and misting station, and improvements to existing intersections and sidewalks.
“The completion of the Agnes Street Greenway is exciting because it puts the City of New Westminster’s core cycling network one step closer to becoming a reality, and also advances goals outlined in both the master transportation plan and Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action,” Mayor Patrick Johnstone said in a news release. “More than just a bike path that connects the downtown neighbourhood, the greenway is a people-oriented public space that reduces traffic and pollution.”
The City of New Westminster incorporated public art into the project, commissioning local Indigenous artist Rain Pierre, of the Katzie First Nation, to create designs for two crosswalks near École Qayqayt Elementary School. Qayqayt students were involved in the creative process through an art competition.
Our Children Again reflects the joint journey towards reconciliation, while We Found Love is representative of the LGBTQ2S+ community.
The grand opening of the Agnes Street Greenway is on Saturday, June 17 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., near the intersection of Merivale and Agnes streets. The family-friendly celebration includes a ribbon-cutting, an art show, a bicycling activity and free artisan ice pops for the first 100 attendees.
Johnstone and city officials will be joined by representatives from the Province of B.C. and TransLink, and local Indigenous leaders.
TransLink provided $2.12 million towards the project.
“TransLink is committed to creating safe and accessible traffic-separated multi-use paths, such as the Agnes Street Greenway, to encourage people to embrace zero-emission modes of travel,” TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn said in the news release. “The Agnes Street Greenway is a part of our vision to build a traffic-separated 850-kilometre Major Bikeway Network through Transport 2050.”
The Province of British Columbia provided the City of New Westminster with a $500,000 BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Grant.
“Encouraging people to get out of their car and onto a bike or e-bike starts with providing safe and enjoyable trails and multi-use paths that connect people to the places they need to go,” said New Westminster MLA Jennifer Whiteside. “Our government is pleased to work with our partners in New Westminster to support investments in infrastructure that make a difference in people’s lives and move us closer to a net-zero future.”
The greenway, which will be built in two phases, is part of the city’s commitment to sustainable transportation and climate emergency response. It was named as a priority in city council’s 2019 to 2022 strategic plan and in the city’s 2020 downtown transportation plan.
Temporary design elements for Phase 1 of the greenway were done in December 2020/early 2021, before work on the permanent greenway began in mid-2022. Phase 1 runs along Agnes Street from Dufferin Street to Seventh Street.
As part of the work being done on the Pattullo Bridge replacement project, the Agnes Street Greenway will also connect to the Victoria Hill neighbourhood, the Central Valley Greenway, and to Surrey via the new bridge.
Phase 2, which will be built in the future, will eventually connect the greenway to the New Westminster SkyTrain station and the riverfront esplanade.
