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City of North Vancouver races to end of Spirit Trail

With last leg funded, city strives to leave District of North Vancouver, West Vancouver in dust
spirit

The construction of the Spirit Trail isn’t a race – but if it was the City of North Vancouver would be winning.

“We’ll be finished long before the other two districts,” predicted city engineer Doug Pope Monday night.
Pope’s comments came as city council approved $1.2 million for the last major segment of the trail, which ambles east from Park & Tilford along East Fourth Street, through Sunrise Park to the Third Street overpass.

Construction is set to begin this summer, with workers manoeuvring the trail near the District of North Vancouver border near Lynn Creek.

The completed trail will be a “game changer,” according to Mayor Darrell Mussatto.

“This will really enable people to have alternatives to getting to different areas of the waterfront, of the Auto Mall site … through a great connection.”

While council was unanimous in funding the trail, Coun. Pam Bookham wondered aloud if neighbouring municipalities will keep pace.
“Have we built a Spirit Trail to nowhere?” she asked.

Council initially funded the Park & Tilford segment in 2015 but moved the money after a cost overrun pushed the price of the Mosquito Creek Marina portion of the Spirit Trail from $2.8 million to $5.9 million. The overrun was due in part to a failure to account for the complexity of the terrain and the cost of building a pedestrian bridge over Mosquito Creek.

The city is currently working with the Squamish Nation on design work for the Mosquito Creek section with staff “hopeful” the trail will be finished this year.

The finished trail is designed to wind 35 kilometres from Deep Cove to Horseshoe Bay.

Council voted 5-0 to fund the Spirit Trail. Couns. Craig Keating and Holly Back did not attend the meeting.