Next big thing for downtown Kelowna

KELOWNA – A plan for major upgrades on Ellis Street downtown goes to Kelowna city council Monday.

The Ellis Street Corridor Plan includes significant enhancements to the make the intersections and roadway more pedestrian friendly.

The proposal from city staff includes bicycle lanes, new left turn lanes at Doyle Avenue and Bernard Avenue, new and improved sidewalks, Urban Braille improvements at each intersection, mid-street crosswalks, trees and street furniture.

The intersections with the tactile Urban Braille improvements also include bollards and inlays with the street name.

According to a staff report, the renovations will help turn Ellis Street into a prime retail corridor especially with the new Interior Health Building, the new Ellis Street parkade, the upgrade Queensway transit terminal and the plan to build the Okanagan Centre of Innovation next to the library.

No mention of how much the plan will cost in the staff report, but the upgrades are expected to happen over several years.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infotelnews.ca or call 250-491-0331. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.