Artists rendering of the Gateway 286 project in Merritt/via Troika Developments

A project which has been in the works for well over two decades is expected to be operational for Coquihalla highway travelers heading too and from the coast by the spring.

“We’re going to have everything from your gas station and charging stations, to drive-thru restaurants. We’re going to have some local sit-down restaurants, coffee shops, dog-friendly areas, kid-friendly areas, some picnic areas,” said Troika Developments CEO Renee Merrifield, whose company is developing Gateway 286 in Merritt.

The 7 acre project is being built on the former visitors centre site along the Coquihalla in Merritt.

A collaboration among local First Nations, as well as Troika, Merrifield — the outgoing MLA for Kelowna Mission — says work is expected to ramp up quickly.

Artist rendering of the Gateway 286 project in Merritt/via Troika Developments

“We’re going to be up and running 10 months from when we hit a shovel in the ground. We’re hoping that’s going to be later on in the summer. Looking forward to August, September to start vertical construction.”

She says the effort is going to represent an economic shot-in-the-arm for the Merritt area.

“We’re looking at almost a thousand direct and indirect jobs that will be created by this project’s construction. Once it’s constructed, we’ll see about 300 jobs, just within the different retail organizational spaces.”

“The Gateway 286 rest stop outside Merritt, BC has already served millions of travelers as they access the popular Okanagan and Thompson Nicola regions,” states Troika Developments on its website.  “As the population continues to grow so did the need for a reimagination of the site to meet increased capacity.”