The Cromwell Community Board has recommended the Central Otago District Council use Cromwell financial contribution reserves to build a 185m shared path linking the soon-to-open trail with the Bannockburn township.
Board members considered two options this week: widening the road shoulder or constructing a separate cycle path.
Widening the shoulder was estimated to cost about $300,000, while a stand-alone path would cost closer to $600,000.
Council planning and infrastructure general manager Quinton Penniall recommended the cheaper option.
While it would provide less separation from traffic than a dedicated path, it would move cyclists out of the traffic lane and could be delivered alongside stage one of the Bannockburn water main project.
Mr Penniall said the Kawarau Gorge Trail would run from Bannockburn Bridge along Bannockburn and Felton Rds, forming a key corridor between the township and the wider trail network.
At present cyclists and pedestrians must travel uphill along the road edge, exposed to traffic.
The 35km Kawarau Gorge trail will link the Queenstown Trail with the Lake Dunstan Trail near Bannockburn and is expected to significantly increase cycle traffic.
At a recent public forum, residents raised concerns about cyclist numbers, parking and a lack of public toilets.
Board members supported funding the path but asked for a barrier to discourage riders from using the road.
Trail projections suggest tens of thousands of riders could use the new route each year.
