An overview of where crews will be working to replace the sewer main under Lansdowne Street in downtown Kamloops. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
Work to replace the existing sewer main line on Lansdowne Street in downtown Kamloops will begin in the spring of next year.
The City’s Capital Projects Manager Matt Kachel says the existing main line which flows towards the wastewater treatment plant is at capacity and will not be able to support the growth and densification of the downtown core.
“We need to excavate to get to that pipe and replace it and we have to do it in a sequenced way so that the sewage can keep flowing,” Kachel said. “It is one thing to disrupt traffic but we definitely can’t stop the flow of sewage.”
“There will be closures of certain areas. There also will be single lane of alternating traffic in some areas. It just depends on how deep the pipe is. In areas its about five metres deep so that means we have to take up more space on the road to get to that pipe at that depth.”
A cross section of the Lansdowne Street construction zone. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
Extreme Excavating will be working on this project that comes with an estimated $9-million price tag, which is being funded by Development Cost Charges. It is the first phase of sewer upgrades in downtown Kamloops, with two more to come at a later date.
Kachel says the plan is for work to begin near Riverside Park and gradually move east from 1st Avenue towards 7th Avenue, with crews working on one block at a time.
“It’s going to be a bit of a balancing act between minimizing disruption to businesses and traffic while trying to complete a meaningful amount of work as we move forward,” Kachel said.
“In a perfect world we would just close the entire corridor and dig the whole road up and put the pipe in and be done with it, but that is just not reality.”
The City of Kamloops is also soliciting feedback on its plans to add a multi-use pathway along Lansdowne Street between Second and Sixth Avenues in conjunction with this sewer main project.
“[The sewer replacement] is critical infrastructure. It is fully funded, and we have to put it in to meet the demand so that is going to happen one way or another,” Kachel said. “The transportation team saw the opportunity here with the scale of construction to complete a link on their active transportation network because were going to have everything dug up anyway.”
“If we were going to do it, now is the time to include a project that is within the same area.”
Last month, Kamloops council voted to hit pause on a plan to apply for grant money to fund the $2.75 million Lansdowne pathway project. Councillors said they were waiting on more community consultation before deciding whether or to proceed.
The feedback collected at an open house Thursday night as well as through an online survey will be presented at the Dec. 5 City council meeting where the future of the multi-use pathway project will be decided.
“If they get support for that [pathway] then we’ll adjust our plans accordingly to accommodate that part of the project,” Kachel said.
“If that does not ahead, then we’re still going to proceed with our sewer project.”
For more on the project, go here.
