With one kilometre seemingly down, there's just two more to go to connect the Guelph to Goderich (G2G) rail trail to Downtown Guelph.
Construction is being planned to begin next year for a proposed multi-use trail to run along the rail line between Woolwich Street and Woodlawn Road.
The project is pending budget approval.
The city said this will enhance the trail network and provide an accessible connection into Woodlawn Memorial Park.
“The trail will run along the northeast side of the GJR (Guelph Junction Railway) rail line, within the GJR property,” city officials said in a news release. “Starting at Woodlawn Road, the trail will connect to the existing sidewalk and run alongside the north property line shared with Woodlawn Memorial Park.
“A connection will lead to the cemetery road network and the beginning of the TCT (Trans-Canada Trail) route. The trail will continue in the GJR corridor behind the businesses on Woolwich Street and will connect with the newly installed multi-use path on Woolwich Street.”
Construction is said to require the removal of trees beside Woodlawn Memorial Park.
“We’re making every effort to explore designs that preserve healthy trees and are developing plans that will see new trees planted along the trail and in the surrounding area,” the media release noted.
The fight to get the G2G trail connected has been long documented.
The full three kilometre connection has been in the city’s master trails plan since 2005.
But advocates say there has been little progress, even after it was identified as a top city trail building project in 2021.
In an interview last year with GuelphToday, Lorenz Calcagno, the spokesperson for the Guelph portion of the G2G trail, said the group want to fill the gap.
He said the missing piece has been a safety concern for cyclists and hikers who have had to navigate roadways to get from the end of the trailhead at Speedvale Avenue to the Goderich side of the trail, which begins at Silvercreek Parkway, north of the city.
"Not only is it dangerous, it's perceived as undesirable and people won't do it," Calcagno said at the time.
"What we're getting is from that danger, real or perceived, people are not starting in Guelph. They will leave Guelph, and start up at Silvercreek, which is missing Guelph entirely."
In that, he added Guelph is missing out on economic benefits of having a consistent trail heading all the way into Downtown Guelph.
