Construction begins on ILP bike path, tentative completion in January

Construction of the bike path between the Interactive Learning Pavilion and the library began last week, with expected completion in January 2027. 

After years of advocacy from the Associated Students Bike Committee (ASBC), construction has broken ground on the new bike path. According to ASBC Co-Chair and fourth-year environmental studies and geography double major Kyra Xue, construction is expected to be completed in January; however, the project manager is pushing for an accelerated timeline to avoid heavy rains that are anticipated to impact construction during this year’s El Niño.

In the meantime, the construction site is completely closed off with fencing, with a detour route in place. Cyclists are expected to dismount when approaching Parking Lot 3 in front of the Interactive Learning Pavilion (ILP) and walk their bikes when traveling in the corridor between the library and ILP. 

The ILP opened in spring 2023 and was constructed on top of an existing bike path. The ILP’s original construction plans did include a bike path; however, it was not built. In order to bike around the ILP, students are currently forced to ride on UCEN Road, sharing the road with cars.

In January 2025, the ASBC began designing the ILP bike path and garnering support for the path’s construction, eventually gaining University approval. The path’s design was hand-drawn by Design, Facilities and Safety Services Architect and Program Manager Ernest Knapp and finalized by Stantec and True Nature Landscape Architecture. 

The ASBC is contributing around $920k to the construction costs, and the final third is coming from the chancellor’s office. The group will be hosting weekly construction update meetings, open to all students.

A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Oct. 8  print edition of the Daily Nexus