February weather helps city move capital project along

PENTICTON  – The almost complete absence of winter in Penticton this February has helped the city make steady progress with its capital works program this year.

Work on the rebuilding of Industrial Avenue that began in October, 2014 restarted recently after a short shut down.  A mild and relatively precipitation free February has helped city work crews get back on the job.

The project involves the replacement of aging pavement and undersized infrastructure, as well as some improvements that are being done in the interest of efficiency.

“The pavement on Industrial has been degrading rather quickly, to the point it is uneconomical to maintain,”  City of Penticton Communications Officer Simone Blais said. Since the pavement was slated to be ripped up, the city looked at the surrounding infrastructure to see if other work could be done at the same time.

“We are also upgrading the water main on Industrial in order to ensure proper fire flows are available. The sanitary sewer is also being upgraded to handle future flow capacity in the industrial area.

Blais said the sewer pipes in that area date back to the 1960s, while the water mains were likely installed in the 1970s.

A storm sewer is also being installed, which will provide significant environmental benefits by protecting nearby Ellis Creek from contaminated runoff. The storm sewer will divert runoff into the city’s treated system.

The gravel walkway running alongside Ellis Creek east of Main Street will also be extended to the western end of Industrial Avenue, all the way to the dog park.

Blais said the well travelled industrial route will have a new look following completion of the project, which has benefitted from warmer than normal temperatures and a lack of snow over the past month. The $1.9 million dollar project is scheduled for completion in May.

In the meantime, the city is asking motorists to slow down in the construction zone and watch for flaggers.

“One lane traffic will be maintained at all times, and all businesses will have access during construction,” she said.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Steve Arstad at sarstad@infonews.ca or call 250-488-3065. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.