$2.1 million in federal funding for Waterfront Trail extension

New federal funding has been announced for the extension of the Waterfront Trail along the Bay of Quinte.

The announcement of $2.1 million in federal funding from the Active Transportation Fund was made at Quinte West City Hall on Friday.

“Today, we move one step closer to making this vision a reality,” CAO of Quinte West Chris Angelo said during the announcement.

“This project reflects our ongoing commitment to improving connectivity, supporting community wellness and investing in spaces that matter the most to Quinte West.”

According to a release from the federal government, the project is a 1.7-kilometre paved extension between Centennial and Bain parks that, according to the city, hopes to promote car-free travel for pedestrians and cyclists.

When completed there will be a gazebo, bike racks, accessible picnic tables, a bike repair station, solar lighting and trail markers.

Trees will also be planted to add shade along the route.

Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette says it is a vision that happened many decades ago, but the pieces that come together are sometimes agonizingly slow.

He says this announcement is a part of a series of similar announcements by the federal government being made today across Eastern Ontario.

“Projects like this make our communities more livable and affordable, while creating new ways to commute and move around,” Malette said.

“By tying infrastructure investments to concrete solutions to increase Canada’s housing supply, we can build the kinds of places where people can live and grow. ”

The City of Quinte West is providing a municipal contribution of $1.5 million to the project.

Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison says it’s great to have federal support for a project that will help support active transportation.

“What you’ve done here is, yes, it’s connecting us, it’s making us grow, it’s giving us the path that we need,” Mayor Harrison said.

“We’ve been working on this for a while, so it’s great. We’re really glad to see it come to fruition.”

The mayor joked that any time the federal government had funding, they can come on back to City Hall.