1st and Lansdowne (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

CITY CONSTRUCTION

Lansdowne construction expected to hamper downtown Kamloops traffic throughout the summer

Apr 23, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Downtown commuters can expect substantial slowdown beginning at the end of this month. Major work along the Lansdowne Street corridor will begin next week as part of the city centre sanitary upgrades project to install a trunk sewer main from First Avenue to Seventh Avenue.

Work is officially underway in Riverside Park ahead of planned upgrades to the city’s sanitary sewer system in the downtown core.

“We are putting in a new sanitary trunk main, which is a large pipe that is meant to deal with growth in the city,” said Matt Kachel, Kamloops’ capital projects manager. “Obviously, people are see a lot of new buildings going up. We need to put this trunk main in so it can deal with that additional flow. This upgrade is going from First Avenue right behind us, all the way up to Seventh.”

Disruptions to traffic are expected to begin next week on a project not expected to be completed until November.

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“We will be onto the road at First and Lansdowne here next week. This will be the hardest part of the project. We will be there for about eight weeks and there will be a full closure to the area and traffic will be rerouted around that,” said Kachel. “After that, we will work block by block up toward Seventh and we should be done by the end of November if all goes well.”

Along with the eight weeks of traffic being re-routed around First and Lansdowne, businesses are concerned about a lack of parking in the area being further tied up by the work.

“Lansdowne is such a busy street, it’s honestly just so busy all the time. I know we get a lot of traffic coming off of Lansdowne Street,” said Lara Beardsell, owner and operations manager at Red Collar Brewing. “Because it will be so backed up, we are probably going to lose the parking and the access to the parkade. That could potentially be problematic for us.”

Red Collar is hopeful that the construction timeline will move smoothly and limit impact to their busy summer patio season.

“We reduce the impact as much as possible,” said Kachel. “But, everyone will be able to access those businesses to go about their usual business. They just may have to walk a little bit farther to get where they need to go.”

Construction at First and Lansdowne is expected to begin in earnest on April 28.