Kamloops staff are addressing complaints about congestion at one of the city’s busiest intersections, saying the main cause is from detours set up for construction projects nearby.

Transportation manager Purvez Irani says the left-turn signal from 8th Street onto Fortune Drive was shortened by four seconds.

He says that was done to coordinate it with the signal on 12th and Tranquille.

And he’s aware of complaints from drivers, but says the change to the left turn is not the main reason.

“Congestion that’s happening right now is because the volumes have increased at the moment. Number one, because of the Trans Mountain project that’s happening. That’s increased the truck traffic down that corridor. And also the Tranquille sanitary project that’s happening. So two projects happening side by side.”

Irani acknowledges the timing change to the left-turn lane on 8th Street is exacerbating traffic turning onto Fortune, but says not in a significant way.

The four-second reduction in turning time came into effect on Sept. 30, and he says it means one fewer car, on average, per cycle.

“We have a plan in place, we are collecting traffic data. And then we may have to temporarily, for a year or two, again modify the signal timing, so the southbound left flows smoothly.”

The sanitary project on Tranquille Road will soon be paused for the winter, meaning traffic will be fully open again through that stretch until the spring.

Trans Mountain crews are busy this month for the section of the project along Ord Road and near the Kamloops Airport, and large trucks have been forced to detour down 8th Street in the meantime.