![Kamloops city staff expected to start planning this year for fourth river crossing](https://media-cdn.socastsrm.com/wordpress/wp-content/blogs.dir/1605/files/2019/12/Overlanders_Bridge_Kamloops_B.C._-_panoramio.jpg)
Overlanders Bridge seen from the west of the span
It could be several decades away, but Kamloops city staff are starting planning this year for a fourth Thompson River crossing.
Engineering manager Deven Matkowski says site identification is starting now because it takes many years to secure land.
“And even if we have the land now, to make sure that we protect it and as development applications in, that they don’t come in such a way that maybe takes away an option that, if we’re aware of it now, we can protect it going forward.”
He says the most feasible crossing point on the north side of the river would probably be near the Kamloops Airport.
“I think we’ll even look at, is there ways to come in off the highway out by the weigh scales, way out by Costco, past the weigh scales that way on Versatile, and is there a connection there that might make sense. There’s no future roads planned there yet or anything, so this is really early days just looking at what are the options out there.”
Matkowski says the long-term goal with a fourth crossing is to get truck traffic on the North Shore away from residential neighborhoods.