Kingborough Council has started building a 3 metre wide shared cycling and walking path between Snug and Margate, which is due to open before the end of the year.
The much anticipated path has been held up by objections to the development application, but contractors Stornoway finally started work last week at the Snug end.
The 7.5 metre long path will stretch between Jarvis Road in Snug to Parish Lane in Margate, running mostly via the old Channel Highway and new path alongside the existing highway.
While most of the path will be on asphalt, some sections will be gravel.
Local residents wanting to ride between the two towns will now have a safe path, rather than having to ride on the road and it will also be useful for cycling tourists wanting to avoid traffic.
It will also be level enough for people in wheelschairs and runners to use it, although there are a few steeper sections.
The path has been a long time coming, with the feasibility report dating back to 2012 and the first round of $360,000 state funding secured in 2014; more funding of $175,000 was provided through the Cycling Tourism grant round in 2017.
When the development application was lodged back in July 2017, 21 people made representations, with 14 in support and the rest opposing.
Some private land was aquired to built the path, but the majority is public land that was already in the road reservation.
The path is Kingborough Council’s major investment in cycling infrastructure for this year and the path may be progressively opened as work finishes on each section.
You can view the development application maps on the Kingborough Council website's agendas and minutes page.