Traffic impacts during Phase 3 of the City Centre Sanitary Upgrades Project in Kamloops. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
The City of Kamloops says crews will begin stage three of a lengthy sewer main replacement project along Lansdowne Street Monday, Sept. 9.
Infrastructure Delivery Divisional Manager Matt Kachel says the third phase of the project will see crews working between 4th and 5th Avenues for the next couple of weeks, with the area between 5th and 6th Avenue used as a staging area.
“This work block will look very much like it did in stage two where we’ll have a single of through traffic and there may be a bit of rerouting of pedestrians as well but traffic will continue to flow through as we’ve had since we completed Phase One,” Kachel told Radio NL.
People walking in the area, or those visiting the Lansdowne Village Shopping Centre are being asked to obey all signs and traffic control personnel on scene and to not enter prohibited work areas.
There will continue to be impacts to businesses – which will remain open while work is underway – as well as to transit and parking along Lansdowne Street.
“We might have to adjust the traffic control a bit so that we can get into the right part of the intersection but aside form that it should be continuous flow of traffic getting through,” Kachel said. “Just as we’ve been doing all along, we’ll be monitoring signal timing and making sure that traffic is not queuing up too much so that we can adjust as we go if things are becoming a problem.”
Kachel says crews also are in the process of completing paving work on Lansdowne Street between 2nd and 4th Avenues where work was previously taking place.
He notes the entire project – which is still on time and on budget – is expected to wrap up at Lansdowne and 7th Avenue sometime in November.
“We are on schedule, even a little bit ahead of schedule, but again things could change,” Kachel said. “We’re still within our budget. We had a good risk plan and did our homework before we got out there so we generally knew what we were going to deal with and things haven’t changed that much.”
“I don’t want to say we’re out of the weeds just yet but the hard part is mostly behind us now and its just getting it to the finish line to 7th. We’re getting there.”
Traffic impacts during Phase 3 of the City Centre Sanitary Upgrades Project in Kamloops. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
That fourth stage of the project, which will begin at the end of September, will involve a full closure of the intersection at Lansdowne Street and 5th Avenue as well as the entire 500 block of Lansdowne Street.
“During that time, traffic will be detoured south on 6th Avenue to St. Paul Street,” Kachel said, noting more detailed information outlining those impacts are forthcoming.
Kachel says the $9-million project is required as crews need to replace the existing sewer main line on Lansdowne Street, which is at capacity and unable to support future growth and densification of the downtown core.
He says once complete, the new sewer main will service the city centre; the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc area; the Sagebrush, Valleyview, Rose Hill, Juniper Ridge, Dallas, Campbell Creek, Barnhartvale, and West End neighbourhoods; as well as portions of Lower Sahali.
For more information on the City Centre Sanitary Upgrades project, including the latest updates to traffic and other impacts, go here.
