Southside Riverfront Trail To Be Closed for Major Upgrade

Fredericton (October 13, 2010) - Work gets under way this week on a major upgrade to the southside trail from the Lighthouse-on-the-Green at the bottom of Regent Street along the banks of the St. John River linking up with the pedway crossing Pointe-Sainte-Anne Drive. The work is being performed by Martin Landscaping Corp., the sole bidder on the project, at a cost of $362,098.

Trail users are advised this section of the Southside Walking Trail will be closed for about three weeks while the work is in progress. Detours signs will be in place to guide users around the construction area.

Along with the paving and a realignment of the trail, the work will include the installation of waste containers, benches, planters, concrete seating walls, tables for playing games like chess or checkers, bike racks, several varieties of trees including evergreens, oak, maple and serviceberry, shrubs, improved grading and new decorative light standards.

The project also includes an upgrade to the Regent Street Wharf area, making it easier for heavy equipment to access the area in the spring and fall when the boat docks are installed and removed. Downtown Fredericton, which owns the wharf, is contributing $50,000 towards the project.

The work follows on the heels of a project in September to pave the section of the trail from the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge to the Lighthouse