WORK is due to begin on the first step towards delivering a safe, continuous cycle route through West Belfast.
The project aims to provide new high quality greenway from the Colin area, connecting Andersonstown to existing facilities in the Bog Meadows and providing links to the Royal Victoria Hospital and existing infrastructure into the city centre.
Preparatory work is now underway on the land between St James' Farm and Milltown Cemetery.
The next phase of the project is also now open for consultation. The proposals include a new four-metre wide greenway between the Bog Meadows and Kennedy Way, environmentally friendly lighting and scaping to support biodiversity.
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said: "The commencement of Phase 1A of the West Belfast Greenway marks a significant milestone, a transformative step toward delivering a safe, continuous cycle route through West Belfast.
"With currently less than one per cent of dedicated cycling infrastructure in our area, this project represents the result of years of community campaigning and collaboration. It will connect our neighbourhoods through safe, sustainable travel options, linking residents to the city centre and beyond.
"The health and environmental benefits of walking and cycling are well established, and we are committed to ensuring that the people of West Belfast have the infrastructure needed to embrace those benefits.
"This is just the beginning, the first phase of a long-overdue and vital investment in active travel for our community. We look forward to working closely with the Department and all partners to deliver at pace a fully accessible active travel corridor stretching from the city centre to the Colin area.
"This project has the potential to be genuinely transformative not just for how we travel, but for how we connect, live and thrive in West Belfast."
Joe Duffy from West Belfast Partnership Board said: “This is something we have been campaigning for for a number of years and we are glad to see our lobbying with the Department come to fruition in the delivery of Phase 1A here.
"We would also like to encourage everyone to get involved in the Phase 1B consultation and have your say on the development of the greenway.
"We look forward to supporting the delivery of this essential new active travel route across West Belfast."
