$14 Million to Make Greenway a Reality

The Inner West Council has today welcomed a $7 Million State Government funding commitment for the Greenway, and will match that funding with an additional $7 million.

The funds signal an end to the decade long campaign to get the nearly 6 kilometre cycling and walking pathway completed.

The funding announcement follows a meeting with the Minister for Transport Andrew Constance in April involving local MPs John Sidoti, Jo Haylen, Jamie Parker and Jenny Leong, (then) Ashfield (now Inner West) General Manager Vanessa Chan and GreenWay Place Manager Nick Chapman.

Inner West Council Administrator Richard Pearson said that the funding was wonderful news for the inner west community.

“The Greenway is a flagship project for the new Inner West Council,” he said.

“Inner west communities and councils have been working to complete this project for over a decade.

“It links the Cooks River to Iron Cove on a project that will benefit our whole community.

“We are more than willing to match the Government’s $7.2 million to complete the project. It will provide for the 11 missing links as well as important landscaping and place making work.

“The green corridor will become a hub for walking and cycling as well as student and community education bush care projects and community arts projects. “

State Government funds for the project were shelved in 2011 but the former Ashfield, Leichhardt, Marrickville and Canterbury councils never gave up on the end goal of a fully connected active transport link throughout the inner west.

“We are all indebted for this tireless advocacy on their behalf,” said Mr Pearson.

“A completed Greenway will have a significant impact on the existing and future residents of the inner west and greatly ease the traffic pressure on local streets.

“And with the light rail now such a popular transport option, the Greenway also provides essential linkages between public and active transport.”

The Greenway Missing Links study was completed in late 2015. It identifies the key links that need to be completed along the GreenWay trail and prioritises their development. Currently 2.6km (45%) of the GreenWay trail is in place and 3.2km (55%) is yet to be completed.

The current Council Budget, set to be adopted next week, includes funding to complete work already underway on the links between the Leichhardt North light rail stop and Hawthorne Canal and from Marion Street to Parramatta Road, $20,000 on design of cycle route and $150,000 on concept plans in the 2017-18 financial year.

$14 Million to Make Greenway a Reality

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