YELLOWKNIFE - The city's public works department has proposed a $650,000 underpass beneath Highway 4 to link the Frame and Niven lake trails.

Money to build the project would come from an $850,000 grant the city expects from the federal government.

"This will allow pedestrians and cyclists to go underneath the highway instead of having to walk over it,"said Greg Kehoe, Director of Public Works for the City of Yellowknife.

Coun. Kevin Kennedy said the project had been anticipated by both council and residents of the city for a while.

"Council has known for a long time that they wanted to put an underpass there," said Kennedy. "I've talked to people informally about it. We had a bike route workshop a few weeks ago, and when that issue came up, it was identified as one of the problem areas that needs to be solved for cyclists."

Cyclists aren't the only people concerned, added Kennedy. The highway separating Frame Lake and Niven Lake has been a problem area for snowmobilers, too.

"I think it's a good idea," said Regina Menendez. A resident of Niven Drive, her husband and two sons have to drive their snowmobiles over the highway.

"It would be a lot safer," she said. "It worries me sometimes when they go out. Not everybody stops for snowmobiles."

Despite the project's possible benefits, Kennedy is concerned that the project wouldn't benefit enough people to validate its cost.

"It's a lot of money to spend on one thing that only affects one small part of town," he said.

"An underpass would probably do more to serve snowmobilers than it would pedestrians and cyclists... That's a huge chunk of money out of the minimum amount (from the federal grant) that we can expect to apply for. And is that the most effective use? Well, I don't know."

Kennedy said he thinks there's a better alternative.

"It would be nice to see a pedestrian-controlled intersection," he said. "I think that would be a lot cheaper and achieve the same results."

Kennedy and Kehoe both stressed that the discussions regarding what city council what would do with the money is preliminary.

It was the first time councillors had seen the proposals from city administration. Councillors agreed they needed more time to absorb the information.

Kehoe and the city administration will return to council in a few weeks with a more detailed plan.

The underpass project is only one of several potential projects under consideration by council.