The province is helping bridge the gap for cyclists in the city’s south end.

London is receiving $325,000 from the Ontario government to help build a cyclist bridge over a CN rail line and a new cycling path in Kiwanis Park.

The new bridge will connect cyclists and pedestrians to more trails and paths across the city.

London North Centre MPP Deb Matthews and deputy mayor Paul Hubert announced the funding at the park in southeast London.

“People who live in the south end are going to be able to cycle to work, and cycle to the university. They will much more easily use the cycling trails as their transportation,” Matthews said.

The bridge, and a kilometre-long cycling and walking path, will connect existing trails in the park that are divided by the railway track, south of Trafalgar Street and Thorne Avenue.

The local funding is part of a provincial government plan to invest $2 million to build and improve cycling trails and accessibility in Southwestern Ontario, Matthews said.

Last year, the province announced a $10 million fund for projects that will improve conditions for cyclists province-wide.

An environmental assessment for the bridge has been completed, and it is in the process of being designed, said Andrew Macpherson, environmental and parks planning manager for the city.

The tentative build date is 2017, if everything goes according to plan, he said.

The new trail and bridge will not only benefit recreational cyclists, but also commuters, Hubert said.

“It’s shorter, more direct and safer. This connects it both from a recreational point of view, but also from a transit point of view.”