Edward Street to Mary Street Active Transportation Project

This project was a part of the active transportation design project, which focuses on creating safer, more accessible pathway connections throughout the city. This project is partially funded through grant funding from the Province’s Active Transportation Infrastructure Grants Program.

Project Details

This project consists primarily of a multi-use pathway that links the Valley Rail Trail connection at the Edward Street tunnel to the Chilliwack General Hospital and the bike lanes on Mary Street.

Key corridor details are below:

Edward Street Improvements – Bernard Avenue to Menholm Road

This section of the project includes:

• Removal of existing sidewalk on the west side of the road and replacing it with a new 3m wide asphalt multi-use pathway.
• Addition of a boulevard strip with street trees between the pathway and road.
• Installation of an unsignalized crossing, connecting the Edward Street pathway to the Menholm Road pathway.
• Installation of new streetlighting to improve safety.

Parking Considerations

Curb locations will remain the same, therefore parking will still be permitted on the west side of Edward Street upon project completion.

Examples of Similar Project (McIntosh Drive)

Menholm Road Improvements – Edward Street to Mary Street

This section of the project includes:

• Removal of the existing sidewalk on the south side of the road, replacing it with a 3m wide asphalt multi-use pathway.
• Removal and replacement of the curb on the south side of the road.
• Removal of the west hospital driveway access to increase parking. Two driveway accesses to the hospital will remain, one from Mary Street and one from Menholm Road.

Parking Considerations

Conversion of the angle parking on the south side of the road to parallel parking to improve safety and access. Adding parallel parking on the north side of the road to maintain about the same amount of parking as before the project.

Mary Street Improvements – Menholm Road to Hodgins Avenue

This section of the project includes:

• Removal of the existing sidewalk on the east side of the road, replacing it with a 3m wide asphalt multi-use pathway.
• Addition of a boulevard strip with street trees between the pathway and road.
• Installation of new streetlighting to improve safety.

Parking Considerations

Curb locations will remain the same, therefore parking will still be permitted on the east side of Edward Street upon project completion.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this project remove parking? 

The City understands the importance of parking in this neighbourhood, therefore the vast majority of parking will remain after construction. The only parking that may be impacted will be nearest to the new crosswalks at Edward Street and Menholm Road, and Menholm Road and Mary Street, where some restrictions may be required to ensure pedestrians are visible to drivers when crossing.

Will parking be permitted during construction? 

At times, parking may be restricted during construction to allow the safe completion of these works. The City will work with the contractors to minimize the impacts, keeping closures as short as possible.

Why is this connection being completed? 

The City is missing key all ages and abilities (AAA) connections from the Valley Rail Trail to Downtown Chilliwack and Fairfield Island, leaving few safe connections by bike or e-scooter. Additionally, this area has a high proportion of seniors, many of them using mobility aids and scooters. We understand that wider paths may make it easier to travel with mobility aids.

Why is the path being installed on the west side of Edward Street and not the east side? 

High land acquisition costs and the location of existing Hydro poles on the east side led the City to select the west side for pathway installation.

Will there be improvements to the Edward Street tunnel as part of this project? 

Not at this time, however, the City is working on a design to shorten the tunnel, increase drainage, and improve accessibility as part of a future project.

Want to Learn More?

Do you have any questions about the Edward Street to Mary Street improvements? Please contact the Engineering Department at 604-793-2907 or [email protected].

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