The bike path-slash-walkway on the north side of the Lachine Canal heading east will no longer stop at Atwater Avenue.

Parks Canada, which oversees the national historic site, says it will be spending $6 million to make the space along the canal from Atwater to Des Seigneurs Street enjoyable.

Right now, that stretch of the canal is lined by the railway, some green space and an empty lot — but no "infrastructure for visitors," Parks Canada said in a news release.

Closer to Atwater, the patios of a luxury condo building sit near the water, too. Small industrial lots lie to the east. The area is bookended by two small cantilever bridges.

A building with washrooms and a rest area will be installed, in addition to the new path.

"This will allow the Government of Canada to provide current and future users with renovated facilities and services that better reflect their expectations as well as the recent transformations in the adjacent neighbourhoods," Parks Canada said.

"Lachine Canal is one of Parks Canada's flagship sites in the Montreal region."

More than 1 million people visit the Lachine Canal every year. (Paul Chiasson/Canadian Press)

The canal is 14.5 kilometres long, linking the Lachine neighbourhood to the Old Port of Montreal. More than one million people visit the canal every year.

The investment in the one-kilometre stretch is part of a program spending $3 billion over five years to upgrade facilities and infrastructure on Parks Canada sites, including national historic sites, parks and marine conservation areas, across the country.