Maple Ridge has approved the start of a major multi-million dollar rebuild of the one-kilometre-long mountain road up to Silver Valley.
Council, last week, approved a $5-million construction contract for rebuilding 232nd Street from 132nd Avenue up to Silver Valley Road.
The work will entail building a bicycle lane southbound, going downhill, and digging ducting for future fibre optic cable, as well as a new sidewalk, LED street lights, ditch infill and a round-about at the eastern portion of 132nd Avenue.
Total cost for the project will be $8.6 million with consultation, design and property aquisition costs are added in.
About $5.7 million of the cost of the project is paid for by development cost charges, paid by developers.
Work is supposed to start this month and will continue to next January.
But it’s not an easy road to build, according to a city engineering report. The mountain road is steeper than usually allowed and under-pinned by bedrock. That will require construction of retaining walls along some of the 32 properties, along with reconstruction of some of the driveways to the residences that line the road.
Part of the cost of the bike lane will be paid for by a TransLink cycling grant of $251,000. If the city gets another grant application approved from BikeBC, the cost of the project could drop by another $879,000.
Motorists on their way up the mountain may have to put up with some inconvenience because 232nd Street will be closed during July and August from 132nd Avenue to 136th Avenue with vehicles detoured via Foreman Drive and 224th Street.
Local residents, however, will still have access while the city will inform motorists of its plans beforehand.