The 100-block of Columbia Street is pictured here. (Image Credit: Google Maps)

By Victor Kaisar

Road Paving

Paving project on Westsyde Road to wrap up as work along Columbia Street delayed to Tuesday

Aug 18, 2025 | 12:54 PM

KAMLOOPS — A three-month long road paving project in Westsyde is nearing completion, just in time for a paving project on a two-block section of Columbia Street downtown to get underway.

Work to pave a three-kilometre section of Westsyde Road between Franklin Road and Harrington Road began in late May and it has been progressing in stages.

“This is just simply to do with the condition of the asphalt,” Adam Gordon, the city’s Project Delivery Manager, said of the project. “There is no coupling of other works going on, whether it be utilities or beautification, as we have for the Tranquille job.”

Elsewhere, the city says a project to pave Columbia Street between First Avenue and Third Avenue will begin on Tuesday (Aug. 19), one day later than initially expected.

There will be lane closures on Columbia Street during the work week with “more complex lane closures and detour routes” in effect on weekends. Work on weekdays is expected to take place between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to reduce impacts to traffic during peak hours.

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Weekend work is expected to begin around 6:00 a.m. as crews hope to expedite the project. The city previously said there will be no work done on weekdays after Labour Day “to help reduce congestion and improve traffic flow” on the busy thoroughfare.

According to the city, milling work on Columbia Street will take place this Saturday (Aug. 23), and the road will be prepped for paving between Aug. 25 and 29. No work will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 5, and paving and line painting work is scheduled for early September.

There will also not be any night work on this project, the city added, to minimize potential impacts to nearby residents and to Royal Inland Hospital.

The City also noted work on Columbia Street this year will help “minimize future traffic impacts” as a “larger, more complex project” between Third Avenue and McGill Road has been tentatively scheduled for 2027. In addition to milling and paving of the road surface, that project also includes work on a watermain following a break last year.

“It was repaired but we need to do more there,” Matt Kachel, the city’s Infrastructure Delivery Divisional Manager, told CFJC Today. “It will be a combination of utility upgrades and new pavement.”

Work is also currently underway on the Overlanders Bridge and as of the last update, two-way traffic is expected to shift to the northbound lanes of the bridge by late August as crews turn their attention to the two southbound lanes.

“While the City recognizes the impact of overlapping work on major corridors, the project team has carefully reviewed the citywide construction schedule and planned this work [on Columbia this year] in a way that prioritizes traffic flow and minimizes inconvenience to commuters,” a statement from the City of Kamloops said.

You can find the latest updates on the Columbia Street project between First and Third Avenue here and the Overlanders Bridge project here.