The Galloping Goose and Lochside are getting wider!
Bike-and-roll routes are getting more use, including the Galloping Goose and Lochside Regional Trail. People on foot, people using mobility aids, e-bikes, cargo bikes, people on scooters and more – the number of people and modes are growing.
As I’ve mentioned in recent years, the regional trails were built for a different era. So I’m genuinely excited for our upcoming CRD discussion of the trail-widening project’s construction phase (“Regional Trestles Renewal, Trails Widening and Lighting Project (RTWL)”).
What the project involves
The project will see widening and separating of six kilometres of the Galloping Goose and Lochside trails from 3-4 metres to a 6.5-metre separated pathway with lighting, and renewing aging trestles (Selkirk, Swan Lake, and Brett Avenue).
Construction is happening in phases, with the Galloping Goose from Gorge Road East to Culduthel Road starting in Fall 2026.
Details (and these images) are in the staff report in this week’s Agenda for the Transportation Committee: https://crd.ca.legistar1.com/crd/meetings/2026/5/4374_A_Transportation_Committee_26-05-27_Notice_of_Meeting_and_Meeting_Agenda.pdf item 6.2.
Here is the construction schedule from the report:
And for the visual learners like me, the map version:
There will be detours
The main detour route through Viaduct Park has been delayed because BC Hydro’s emergency cable replacement project is running behind schedule and won’t be complete until late 2026. CRD staff are coordinating with the City of Victoria, the District of Saanich, and BC Hydro to confirm alternate detour routes and give trail users as much advance notice as possible.
So there will be disruption, and that’s the reality of upgrading infrastructure that thousands of people use every day. But when this is done, we’ll have a much more comfortable core regional trail system.
How to stay informed
The details on detours and more will evolve. For current info, detailed project maps, construction updates, detours, newsletters, and a video(!), visit the CRD’s project page: https://www.crd.ca/projects/current-projects-initiatives/regional-trestles-renewal-trails-widening-and-lighting-project