THUNDER BAY — The City of Thunder Bay plans to build a new waterfront lookout as part of a series improvements to the recreational trail system this summer.
The Marina Park Drive overlook will be constructed just south of the Richardson grain elevator, and will feature a sitting area near the water.
Werner Schwar, supervisor of parks and open space planning for the city, says the lookout will act as the short-term terminus for the waterfront trail.
"As per council's direction, we want to advance the waterfront trail north from Marina Park. It will just stay on the roadway for now. So this project really gives people a destination to go to. It's not just 'walk along the road for two kilometres, turn around, and come back.' And in the future it will be enhanced with some public art."
Schwar said the site provides a great view of the Sleeping Giant, Pie Island and Mount McKay.
He said the artwork will include Indigenous interpretation of these landforms.
Over a longer term, the city wants to extend the Marina Park Drive trail across the Current River over a bridge to connect with Fisherman's Park and the Boulevard Lake trail system.
The overlook is not the only improvement planned for the trail network this year.
At the south end of the waterfront trail, from 110th street to the Mission Island Marsh, an off-road paved trail will follow old rights-of-way and city-owned land, including sections near the water.
Schwar said this will enable users to avoid walking along a narrow roadway to the Mission Marsh.
The city will also hire a contractor to do work on the Pool 6, Mission Island, Academy Park, Parkdale and Oliver Road trails.
Near Pool 6, a trail will run from the cruise ship dock along the shore toward the site of the proposed new Thunder Bay Art Gallery.
"That will give people on the boats an opportunity to go for a short walk, while also creating a bit more length to the waterfront trail within Marina Park itself," Schwar said.
The Oliver Road trail will connect the Golf Links Road trail system to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre.
Schwar said the city's transportation master plan includes a multi-use trail on the whole north side of Oliver, and that "this will be the first section."
He expects all the work will be done this year, but there's a possibility some might be delayed to next year.
No cost estimate was immediately available from the city.
NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that TBnewswatch requested the estimated cost of the work, but the information was not provided prior to publication.
