Columbia Street construction costs going up

KAMLOOPS – Work hasn't even started on Columbia Street and the construction project is already set to cost the city more than originally anticipated.

Based on the bids that were submitted the project is now expected to cost roughly $4.8 million, nearly $900,000 more than the city originally allocated. Now staff is asking council to dip into two separate purses to cover the remaining expenses — approximately $400,000 from development cost charges and $490,000 from capital project, arterial overlays.

Originally conceived in 2009, the project was slated to begin in 2014. Because of improvements at Royal Inland Hospital, the city pushed back the project to coordinate with construction of the Clinic Services Building.

The Columbia Street project includes left turn lanes at every intersection from Third Avenue through Sixth Avenue and closure of the left turn lane at Second Avenue. The project will also include traffic signal upgrades at intersections, street resurfacing, sidewalk and concrete median construction or re-construction and landscaping.

Construction is expected to begin late May or early June and will last several months. 

To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call  250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call  250-718-2724.