Penticton purchases motel property for future road upgrades

The City of Penticton has taken the initial steps in relieving a congested portion of South Main Street through the recent purchase of some property.

The City announced the purchase of 2509 South Main St., the location of Shielings Motel, in a press release issued today, Feb. 26.

The property is located across from the Galt Avenue, South Main and Pineview Road intersection.

“Several roads converge at Kinney Avenue where the current alignment and short length between South Main Street and Skaha Lake Road restrict capacity to accommodate increasing traffic volumes. The plan is to eliminate this bottleneck by creating more efficient connections around it,” City engineer Ian Chapman says.

A proposed roundabout Galt Avenue, South Main Street and Pineview Road will form part of a larger multi-site traffic management solutions that includes additional upgrades at Galt Avenue and Skaha Lake Road (new signals) and conversion to pedestrian and bike route on Kinney Avenue between South Main Street and Skaha Lake Road.

The City is taking a multi-year approach to the upgrades, given the scope and complexity of the project.

This year’s work includes property acquisition and building demolition, with completion of the project over the next three years, subject to priority setting and budget planning, chief financial officer Jim Bauer says.

The motel was purchased for $1,460,000. All 13 motel units will be demolished to accommodate the future road alignment, with the City set to take occupation of the property in March.

“As 12 of the 13 units are currently occupied, the City will work closely with and assist the affected tenants in transitioning to other accommodations,” Bauer says in the release.

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