Courtenay City Council will soon be considering whether to proceed with proposed Fitzgerald Avenue street improvements, and the City is hosting a public information session with the latest project plans. The session will be on Wednesday, October 30 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm in the City Hall Council Chambers, 830 Cliffe Avenue.

Lesley Hatch, the City of Courtenay’s municipal engineer, said the session is a follow-up to previous public consultation sessions. “The City held information sessions in 2011 and 2012 on the proposed Fitzgerald Avenue improvements,” advised Hatch. “We’ve used the feedback from those sessions to develop a design that balances the needs of all road users, including drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and Fitzgerald Avenue residents.”

The detailed design includes bicycle lanes from 8th Street to 21st Street on either side of Fitzgerald Avenue, new signage, and improved sightlines. The majority of vehicle parking would remain in place.

At the information session, project staff will be available to answer questions.

City staff will present a report to City Council on the proposed street improvements at a Council meeting in early November. If approved by Council, the project would be completed by late November.

The City is eligible to apply funding from the Province of BC’s Cycling Infrastructure Partnerships Program for up to 50 percent of eligible costs on the project.

Hatch noted that the proposed changes could be the first step towards other potential improvements in future years. “We’ve had suggestions from both members of the public and traffic consultants with ideas for beautification and traffic calming on Fitzgerald,” advised Hatch. “These could be considered in future years, depending on budget.”

For more information, call the City of Courtenay’s engineering department at 250-334-4441 or email engineering@courtenay.ca