The City of Swift Current is looking to double down on funding from the federal government to complete more pathway work.

Council voted unanimously in favour of submitting an application during Monday night's meeting seeking $330,000 for their highway crossing pathway project.

The proposed plan would connect the City's newly constructed pathway to the northeast part of Swift Current passing under both the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 4.

"The Trans-Canada Highway and Memorial Drive are major constraints for pedestrians as they both create a barrier," Mitch Minken, the general manager of infrastructure and operations for the City, said. "This connection will allow pedestrians an alternate location to safely cross and reach amenities on either side of the highway.

"A couple of years back when we looked at it, overpasses, the statistics show people don't really like to use them because of the height and traffic moving under them."

The project would add approximately 1 kilometre of pathway, lighting, park furniture, and landscaping that's expected to cost $550,000.

Swift Current would be on the hook for around $220,000 and any overages if given the green light by the federal government.

"I would believe our chances are quite good, this is an initiative that the federal government is very behind," he said.

Less than a year ago the City was approved for federal and provincial funding totalling roughly $4.5 million to construct 11 kilometres of sidewalks and pathways.

"We hope that the presentation that we put forth to connect what we already built last year into what was existing will help us get to a strong position for the grant," he said.

Construction wouldn't begin until 2023 and the City would have to receive several permits on top of federal funding for the project to move forward.

"There's a portion of this that goes along the creek that will require from the Water Security Agency and of all things Navigation Canada, permits from them," Minken explained. "There's also environmental permits along the way and archaeological review and also we're dealing with the ministry of highways for both of the bridge crossings."

The 2021 pathway expansion project is expected to be completed by the end of June. Crews just have to finish off the boardwalk by Regier Honda.