Construction along a popular walking and biking trail in Halifax will take longer than expected.

Halifax Water was to be begin construction of a sewer line along the Chain of Lakes Trail last fall.

However, construction of the project didn’t begin until March.

As a result, parts of the greenway will be blocked off until early September.

The councillor for the area, Linda Mosher, says people are not happy.

“I had an email from a 62-year-old resident that said, ‘Am I going to be 65 by the time this is finished?’ Residents are frustrated. They’re living in the middle of a construction zone. There are construction-related issues and on top of that, they can’t use their trail,” she said.

“I call this project a moving target. It's disappointing that they started so late. The weather's getting better and people want to use the trail.”

The decision to place the line along the trail was expected to reduce the cost of the project by $9 million.

Mosher said the delays are bad enough, but most upsetting is Halifax Water's plans to put up a fence along the most scenic section of the trail.

City staff have told the utility it doesn't have the right to do that. However, some fencing may go up to protect the watershed area but not near the trail.

“They can put it further down on their own property or they can put it behind berms or other natural forms so it won't impact the visual urban greenway for the trail users,” said Mosher.

Mosher says it's a headache now but once the work is done the entire trail will be paved so it'll be accessible year-round. There will also be new benches and a look-out platform.