$1.25M in pedestrian upgrades coming to Parksville’s Alberni Hwy.

Improvements include new sidewalk, crosswalks, a retaining wall, additional storm infrastructure, and streetlights, according to the City.

Pedestrian improvements along this heavily used stretch of road were identified as a high priority and included in the 2025 Master Transportation Plan.

The City said work on the project is expected to start immediately and is expected to be completed this year.

The highlighted area of the Alberni Hwy. heading into Parksville where the pedestrian upgrades will take place. (Image Credit: City of Parksville)

Mayor Doug O’Brien agreed it’s the right project for a growing and evolving area.

“With all the amount of development that’s going up at that end of town, and that very weak length of safe transportation route, being in between here and town is going to improve immensely, so I’m very pleased that staff was able to get on this as fast as they did.”

Ongoing projects include a 100+ unit apartment complex along the Alberni Hwy. at Despard Ave.

In the Dirt Contracting Ltd. came in as the lowest compliant bidder out of seven, with over $2.3M reserved for Alberni Hwy. pedestrian improvements in their 2026-2030 Financial Plan.

A contingency of $105,000 is included in the tender price, with City Staff expecting the project to come in around $700,000 under budget, with regular operation and upkeep expected to be absorbed into current budgets.

The recommendation to award the tender was approved unanimously.

Subscribe to our daily news wrap. Local news delivered to your email inbox every evening. Stay up to date on everything Nanaimo and Oceanside.

info@nanaimonewsnow.com

Follow us on: Twitter (X) | Bluesky | Facebook

by Jordan Davidson

$1.25M in pedestrian upgrades coming to Parksville’s Alberni Hwy.

More Local News