At long last, work on the $13-million Victoria Street West Improvements Project is Kamloops is completed, about 16 months after it first began.

Work got underway on April 15, 2019, near First Avenue and gradually made its way west to the Overlanders Bridge.

“Both the City and Extreme Excavating worked very hard to finish this project significantly ahead of schedule. We recognize the impact this project had on businesses and residents within the project limits, as well as the community members who travel through this main corridor,” Civic Operations Director, Jen Fretz said.

“We sincerely appreciate everyone’s support throughout this project.”

The project replaced aging infrastructure that dated back to the early 1900s – including water, sanitary, and storm sewers. It also saw some beautification work, enhancements to the road, and increased pedestrian safety.

“I think its a huge improvement. Eighty per cent of this project was still replacement of critical infrastructure. It was the oldest infrastructure in the city – water, sewer, storm, and we needed to reconstruct that road,” Capital Projects Manager Darren Crundwell said. “We don’t want to lose sight of that, but we definitely improved the aesthetics of the corridor for long term.”

“The other opportunity we took advantage of was the undergrounding of third party utilities and that’s BC Hydro, then telecommunications, and fibre, so you don’t see any more aerial lines over the road, and then just the landscaping and the improvements on the surface.”

Work was expected to take as much as two years, but crews say they were able to finish ahead of schedule. Crundwell previously told NL News that despite the COVID-19 pandemic impacting city operations, the project was still on track for a summer finish this year.

“It’s one thing for me in my office but the crews out there working, six, seven days a week, and working nights, it’s a much deserved break,” he told NL News, as crews took a winter break after major paving work was completed last year.

The project team will be out on Victoria Street West tomorrow, August 19, at noon, to waving to drivers as they pass by.

“The project wasn’t without its challenges, but I think we definitely exceeded the expectations on the schedule,” noted Crundwell.