(Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum / CFJC News)

By Curtis Goodrum

PAC CONSTRUCTION

City of Kamloops working to limit performing arts centre construction traffic

Feb 5, 2026 | 4:42 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Centre for the Arts’ initial groundwork is underway and so is its first major traffic disruption. The City of Kamloops held its Centre of the Arts groundbreaking on November 24 and since then, crews have torn up the parking lot and begun work on relocating utilities.

The city has recently closed the Fourth Avenue between Seymour and St. Paul Streets.

“We’ve been progressing very well through design with this integrated process that we’re doing, so we can do design and construction with an overlapping schedule. The design’s been going great. We’re just right now getting ramped up to go into overall construction itself, starting with mobilization and then foundations here in the coming weeks and months,” said Adam Gordon, the city’s project delivery manager.

The city hopes residents and frequent users of these roads are patient with workers as they attempt to get the project finished promptly.

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“You’ll see the more stable traffic pattern gets set up where the site comes to take up each of these streets. That is going to be there for the long run. This is going to be about a two-and-a-half-year build. It really won’t be until 2029 that we see that traffic pattern reduced back to normal levels,” said Gordon.

The city acknowledges the impact on parking but is hoping to limit its parking footprint.

“We’re seeking to not compound it by adding in contractors who are going to be here once the site is active. They are going to be parking in satellite areas, so they’re not further burdening the residents and businesses. We’re also very aware of when we’re doing any work on the outside of the facility that we’re making sure that all the storefronts are maintained, that pedestrian travel is able to move freely,” said Gordon.