Since 2011, the City of Parksville and the Regional District of Nanaimo have been working on establishing a pedestrian and cycling trail that would link Parksville with Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park.
Both jurisdictions now want to see this plan finally come to fruition.
At the RDN committee of the whole meeting on May 12, the board passed a motion that the district write a letter requesting the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure start road improvements on Highway 19A that will also include a trail connecting Parksville and Rathtrevor Park for pedestrians and cyclists.
The trail the RDN has reviewed starts from the Englishman River, adjacent to the Orange Bridge, and will run parallel to Highway 19A and terminate at the entrance to Rathtrevor Provincial Park at Rathtrevor Park Road.
Parksville director and Mayor Ed Mayne is disappointed it’s taken so long to make this project happen. He also pointed out that the MoTI has not indicated when it would start road improvements.
Mayne doesn’t want to see the project delayed indefinitely and asked RDN staff if there’s another way to get the project moving forward.
READ MORE: Mayor Mayne proposed Parksville-to-Rathrevor trail
RDN general manager recreation and parks, Tom Osborne, said that the city and the RDN can mention to the MoTI the importance of the trail and hopes it would prompt ministry staff to prioritize the project and include it in their portfolio.
The RDN and the city will collaborate on the wording of the letter that will be sent to the ministry.