Work through the Victoria Street West project will wrap up for the year on Friday, Dec. 20.
The city says weather permitting, Extreme Excavating crews will return to work on Jan. 6 to continue with landscaping and third-party utility work at several locations throughout the work site.
“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 said.
“It’s been a stressful project but we got a lot more done than I thought we would, and I think it’s been a successful project and I can’t wait to see what it looks like when all the poles are gone and all the landscaping is finished. It’s going to be a beautiful corridor”
In the spring and summer of 2020, work done will include landscaping work and utility change-overs will take place. As well, hydro poles will be removed, and the remaining sidewalk panels will be installed.
For drivers, he says the reduced 30 km/hr speed signs will be removed tomorrow.
“So it’ll be back up to 50 km/hr, but when we do start work again, we are going to post it back to 30 km/hr, and I know that’s frustrating some of the public, but when there’s crews working in curb lanes consistently, we do want to control that speed at 30 km/hr,” Crundwell noted.
“So the ask is to the public, when the signs are posted at 30 km/hr, please drive 30 km/hr.”
The crosswalk at the west end of the corridor in front of Sun Life Financial will be temporarily closed for the winter on Dec. 20, and it will reopen next spring once the crosswalk lights have been installed.
“With four lanes of traffic in that area, there is a safety concern that motorists will not see or stop for pedestrians without the crosswalk light in place,” Crundwell noted. “The crosswalk near The Mustard Seed will remain open. Both the north and south sidewalks throughout the corridor are fully accessible to pedestrians.”
“Permanent bus stops are in place near National Car Rental/Spoke N’ Motion (outbound) and near Budget Brake and Muffler (inbound).”
Crunwell says the city understands its been a tough year for businesses in the Victoria Street West corridor, but he says next year’s work should have as large an impact as work will primarily be focused outside of the roadway and driveways.
“Other than the wider slip lane at the west end that goes under the Overlanders bridge, which is an improvement obviously, the rest of the project will look exactly the same as it did before we started the project,” Crundwell added.
(Photo via City of Kamloops)
