This story has been amended since it was first posted.
It’s been part of the plan for years, but a new pedestrian/cycling bridge over Lynn Creek is now coming together, linking the District of North Vancouver’s Seylynn Park with Bridgman Park.
“Really, this is the next section critical section of the Spirit Trail,” said Ingrid Weisenbach, transportation planner at the District of North Vancouver. “I have heard from people that they're excited for this.”
Components for the four-metre-wide, 52-metre-long span were delivered to the site last week and the district has detoured several trails in the area in preparation. Next month, a crane will be brought in to start lifting the bridge arches and deck panels into place.
The intent is to provide a quick and convenient car-free way for the thousands of residents moving into the Lynn Creek town centre to reach the shopping and services of Park & Tilford, Weisenbach said.
To make the journey to Park & Tilford from Hunter Street and Mountain Highway today via a 1.2-kilometre detour up to Keith Road, it would take about 16 minutes on foot (or longer via Main Street). A direct route over Lynn Creek would reduce that to about seven minutes. And unlike the congested roads/truck routes, a serene walk through two wooded parks and over a running creek should be a lot more pleasant, Weisenbach said.
“Not everybody wants to walk along or cycle along a busy street, and so we are trying to create these town centres so people do want to walk and cycle and take transit to get to where they want to be,” Weisenbach said. “Part of that is providing safe and comfortable routes.”
The trail will be well lit and paved with improved connections to Lynnmouth Avenue, Mountain Highway, Brooksbank Avenue, the Slalop Trail and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s new bike routes through Lower Lynn, Weisenbach said.
The new Lynn Creek bridge connection was approved by council in 2017. The budget for the project is roughly $5-million with grants from TransLink covering about half of the cost.
The goal is to have the new crossing open by the end of 2022, Weisenbach said.
The next big piece will be figuring out the best route connecting the Spirit Trail from Maplewood all the way to Deep Cove.
Correction: An earlier refered to Bridgman Park being in the City of North Vancouver. It is in fact in the District of North Vancouver.
