‘A big moment’: Tower crane rises at site of Kamloops Centre for the Arts downtown

“It’s a big moment.”

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in November last year and construction on the $211-million project is expected to wrap up in 2029.

Kachel said this yellow crane will grace the downtown Kamloops skyline until most of that construction is completed, adding it will help expedite the task for crews working on the first major project of the Build Kamloops initiative.

“The crane can do a lot of the heavy lifting,” Kachel said. “The team will come in and start to set up the form works and put in reinforcing steel for the foundations now and the concrete should follow soon after. The crane will remove materials from the back of the trucks and lower it down into the pit, and then move things around within the site to make it easier and safer for the crews that are working down there.”

(Image Credit: Kent Simmonds/CFJC Today)

In September, Kachel told city council the arts centre project is both on time and about $5 million under budget. He said Wednesday that estimate still holds true.

“We’re [still] on schedule and about $5 million under budget, which is a really good place to be after coming out of the ground where a lot of our risks are going to be,” Kachel said. “There are still risks that can come up throughout the project, but I think we’re in a good position to manage those.”

And as for traffic impacts, especially along Seymour Street, Kachel said the worst should be behind us.

“There will be a little bit of that intermittent stuff as things come in but now that the crane is up [there should be] minimal impacts, just little few closures here and there as the project advances but yeah, nothing worse that this,” Kachel said.

by Victor Kaisar

‘A big moment’: Tower crane rises at site of Kamloops Centre for the Arts downtown

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