After a long pause, construction of the highly controversial bike route along the Kengarags promenade in Riga is set to continue, which is supposed to eventually connect with the bike path of the city of Salaspils.
Currently, the new section from Rumbula to Daugavgrīva is planned to be 2.5 kilometers long. The city of Riga is only responsible for its part of the infrastructure. Beyond the city limits, it is the concern of Salaspils.
At the moment, the bike path in Rumbula ends in a dead end, and it is also impossible to comfortably reach the Riga Daugavgrīva along it. And beyond Daugavgrīva begins Salaspils.
We can remind you that the appearance of the bike path on the Kengarags promenade is the merit of the director of the Latgale Executive Directorate, which has been dissolved by the previous council for six years now.
It is quite difficult to understand why the residents of Salaspils need a bike path to Riga – the length of the route from the Stone Bridge to the Riga border is already 15 kilometers, and they need to be cleaned, repaired... One way or another, the main problem turned out to be the alienation of land from Rumbula to Daugavgrīva, where there were about 30 owners of a single plot of land, and all of them had to be contacted, negotiated with, and documents arranged. In the end, all the owners were found, and the problem was resolved.
The new section of the path, two and a half kilometers long, will stretch from Rumbula Street in Rumbula to Janoga Street in Daugavgrīva, featuring 12 rest areas, access to water, lighting and benches for relaxation, of course, video surveillance, as well as a counter for monitoring pedestrians and cyclists.
The residents of Daugavgrīva are pleased with the appearance of the bike path, but they want the route to continue along the bank of the Daugava River, rather than delving into the neighborhood.
According to the council's plans, construction is set to begin in 2026 and take 9 months. Its commissioning is expected in 2027.
