A Kamloops city councillor says he is very happy with how the Victoria Street West project has progressed so far.

Arjun Singh says it is always tough when work takes place on a major city street, and he says council appreciates the patience from residents over the last few months.

He was asked about concerns raised by area business owners because of the work taking place.

“The sidewalk will be extended, they’ll be landscaping around there will be a lot nicer. Long term, I think it’s going to be really good for them, but I think obviously there’s the short term and mid term impacts so I think staff is in contact with them all the time. I haven’t been myself to talk to them for a bit, but I’m hoping to do that in the next little while.”

The final bit of paving work is happening today, and Singh says he’s confident city staff and the contractors know what they are doing as the project is ahead of schedule.

“I’m confident that the road will be in good repair for the citizens of Kamloops as it finishes up here. The main aspect from a council perspective is the budget, and is it on time or faster, and it’s actually been faster than what was scheduled.”

And Arjun Singh says he understands there have been concerns from area business owners, but he says the long term benefits, once the project is done, will be good for them.

“You know it’s always a very tricky thing churning up old roads. I think city staff have done a really, in my view, a good job in terms of not only making it go as smoothly as possible, but also communicating to the public and to council as steps kind of went through the process.”

The city expects to have all lanes of traffic open and pedestrian access restored sometime this month. There may be intermittent lane closures in the months to come but nothing near the lengths of what has been needed since the work began in April.