Sections of the planned E&N rail-trail have veered off the rails and onto Island Highway, with no guarantees it will have continuous bike lanes through View Royal.

The Capital Regional District board has authorized spending $11.5 million in government grants to build a somewhat stunted version the regional trail between Victoria and Langford.

The route follows the E&N tracks from downtown Victoria until the Four Mile train bridge in View Royal. At that point the trail would become part of Island Highway until merging onto the Galloping Goose trail, then onto Wale Road, Goldstream Avenue and Station Avenue to Jacklin Road.

At the same time, View Royal is planning major upgrades to Island Highway starting next year, but engineering director Emmet McCusker said there is no certainty the Town will have the money to build entire bike lanes from Four Mile bridge to Helmcken Road.

Sections of Island Highway have bike lanes now and more will be added during road upgrade construction, but gaps could remain, McCusker said, effectively leaving gaps in the rail-trail.

“I’m hoping senior governments will recognize that issue and make it a priority to get the rail-trail,” he said. “It’s what were all hoping for. (The rail-trail) will be an excellent facility for the region.”

The E&N rail-trail was originally envisioned to follow the tracks 17.5 kilometres from the Blue Bridge in Victoria to Humpback Road in Langford, but cost estimates pegged that at $22.7 million – about double what the CRD received in federal gas tax and provincial LocalMotion grants.

Langford Coun. Denise Blackwell, who sits on the CRD board, supported the vote to get moving on the trail, but said the funding situation is troubling.

“Our concern is going off the trail up the View Royal section,” Blackwell said. “It’s very concerning that they are going to put people on a section of (road) with no bike lanes.”

Langford council had previously blasted CRD Parks for routing cyclists and pedestrians into Wale Road and Goldstream Avenue, instead of investing in difficult sections of the tracks along Atkins Road. Wale Road in particular has part of its bike lane eaten away from the construction footprint of the inert Silkwind tower project.

CRD Parks manager Jeff Ward said the route selected allows a contiguous trail with the available money. There are still many difficult sections and co-operation needed from different partners, he said. He confirmed the CRD is still in discussions with the Esquimalt First Nation, as the track runs through First Nation land.

“It’s a very complex project with lots of participants. It has very narrow right-of-ways with many emerging challenges and budget challenges,” Ward said. “We are trying to make the best with what we have.”

He expects the rail-trail to evolve much like the Galloping Goose, in sections over many years. The first physical piece of trail is scheduled to be built along Station Avenue to Jacklin Road, with an extension toward Savory elementary. “The first piece of the entire trail will be built in Langford,” Ward said.

When that will happen isn’t clear, although the CRD initially wanted the trail to be open by 2010.

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