Beginning Monday, July 4, construction of the Abbott Street Active Transportation Corridor (ATC) extension between Rose and Cedar avenues commences. The $2.8 million with support of the Canada Community-Building Fund, is anticipated to be complete in September. The project will incorporate two separate scopes, an ultimate build and a quick build project.
“The ultimate build construction will occur between Rose and Christleton avenues and will look similar to the existing Abbott Street corridor,” said Derek Corning, Senior Project Manager with the City of Kelowna. “We will be adding 240 metres of bi-directional cycle track, sidewalks on both sides of the road and landscaped boulevards.”
Lighting, parking on one side of the street near Rose Ave. and safety upgrades to the existing 3-way intersection at Christleton and Abbott avenues will be incorporated as part of the ultimate build as well.
The quick build portion of the Abbott ATC will continue the corridor between Christleton to Cedar avenues. It will include 1200 metres of cycle track added to the existing asphalt with concrete barriers and planter boxes as a physical buffer between vehicles and cyclists. The City is piloting the use of this quick build infrastructure to extend this ATC sooner than 2030, when it is identified for funding in the capital plan .
“In June 2021, the City delivered an online public engagement opportunity to collect feedback on the Abbott ATC extension project and received mostly positive support. The design was tweaked where opportunities existed based on the feedback as well,” Corning continues.
Abbott Street will be closed to thru traffic between Rose and Christleton avenues during construction with access maintained for cyclists, pedestrians, residents who live there as well as emergency vehicles.
Construction hours are typically scheduled for Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Work may occur outside of regular construction hours, including evenings and weekends, to minimize impacts on residents and limit the time of active construction in the area.
The City of Kelowna is investing in neighborhoods and communities by expanding multi-modal routes of transportation, and the success of these projects was largely due to the much-appreciated cooperation of those directly affected. Patience is appreciated during these upgrades and the City apologizes in advance for any inconveniences.
Learn more about this project by visiting the Capital Projects at kelowna.ca/cityprojects.