The City of Kamloops is applying for $276,000 in grant funding to build a sidewalk on the north side of Chestnut Avenue.

Director of Development Services Marvin Kwiatkowski says it will help connect pedestrians from the Rivers Trail along Schubert Drive to Fortune Drive on the North Shore.

“It was a medium term, high-priority project. Currently, there is no sidewalk but there is a school (Arthur Hatton Elementary) there,” he said.

“There are active transportation networks on either end of this street. It’s not just a sidewalk, there’s curb and gutter work, and there’s drainage work that would be done in conjunction with this project.”

The sidewalk is part of city council’s plan to improve and maintain active transportation networks throughout Kamloops.

” A couple of years back we actually looked at the sidewalk along Oak Street, but we had a good second look at it,” Kwiatkowski said. “We did some engagement with the neighbourhood as well and felt that Chestnut is the better street for the sidewalk to be located along.”

The BC Active Transportation Infrastructure grant will cover half of the total $552,000 cost of the project, and the city will cover the rest of it.

Councillor Arjun Singh called it an important project for the city.

“It will create that pedestrian connection and the school is there. The odd time we’ve been contacted by folks at McArthur Island Park or the bike path. This is all part of that connected pathway network,” he told his colleagues this week.

“We really want to try and work hard on this term so, I think it’s a very very good investment.”

Earlier this month, city council has also approved a funding application to build a multi-use pathway along Summit Drive, connecting bike paths in Sahali to downtown.