Kingborough Council has opened the full section of new shared pathway along Whitewater Creek and underpass at Huon Road, providing a comfortable and attractive daytime link around the Kingston town centre to Huntingfield.
The route is an alternative to riding on the narrow shoulders on Channel Highway between Kingston and Huntingfield, providing a 3 metre wide concrete path between Huon and Summerleas roads and then good quality gravel path to Spring Farm Road.
Spring Farm Road has a shared path on the bridge over the Southern Outlet and delivers you at the roundabout crossing in front of Bunnings onto the shared path that runs along the Highway then down Huntingfield Avenue to businesses, schools and housing.
The path hugs the Whitewater creek and areas of bushland to create a winding, picturesque route that is extremely pleasant to ride along.
Late last year the state government announced funding for an underpass at Summerleas Road which will eliminate the only road crossing left on the route.
While most of the work on the path has finished, there is still a small section of gravel path at the Whitewater Crescent Bridge that will be sealed in the coming weeks.
And at the Huon Road end, the construction crew compound is still blocking the new path and the gravel road entrance off the Channel Highway just before Huon Road. They are going to extend the path further down the gravel road to meet up with the gravel path through the wetlands which takes you to Cottage Road and that work should be finished next month. Ideally, the path would then be extended through to Channel Highway so road bikes can access the path, which could happen next financial year.
Planning ahead
Kingborough Council has committed to a capital works plan for the next 5 years that will see further investment in improving this route, along with other spending on planning and construction of paths across its area.
The Summerleas Road underpass will be built for an estimated $837,000, with funding committed this financial year and construction to begin later in 2023 or early 2024, and a $350,000 link between Spring Farm and the sports precinct is scheduled for next financial year.
Other infrastructure spending in the 5-year plan that could help more people to ride includes:
- Sirius Drive to the Park and Ride shared path on Huntingfield Avenue $100,000 in 24–25. This would link the new Huntingfield estate and current housing on the western side to the new Park and Ride, which has a bike parking shed available.
- Firthside to Summerleas Road shared path $40,000 in 23–24. Plans for this have not been released but will probably utilise existing right of ways that have no paths or directional signage.
- Channel Hwy Taroona shoulder improvements $200,000 in 23–24.
- Taroona bike lane design $30,000 in 22–23 and implementation in 23–24 to improve the width and grade of bike lanes where possible in tandem with the shoulder improvements. It would also remove car parking over the bike lanes.
- Roslyn Avenue bike lane and footpath $30,000 in 22–23 for design and $250,000 in 24–25 for construction.
- Algona Roadd shared path feasibility study $40,000 in 24–25 to explore the planning and cost of a shared path linking Blackmans Bay to Huntingfield.
- Huntingfield to Kingston CBD cycleway design $30,000 in 25–26 along the Channel Highway to provide a short, separated link that commuters could use all year round that would be lit and feel safer than a creek path with limited exits.
- Kingston CBD to Kingston Beach shared path study $30,000 in 26–27 that could potentially utilise the edge of the golf course to allow people to ride to the beach off road.
Kingborough Council approved its 2021–30 bike plan early last year which maps out the projects it will be progressing to create a connected all ages and abilities network.
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