Be prepared for major traffic disruptions trying to get too and from downtown and the Kamloops North Shore starting at the end of this month.

The City of Kamloops has confirmed that construction work on Lansdowne is set to get underway on April 29, with the city ripping up the road, starting at 1st Avenue, to completely replace an existing sewar line.

Capital Projects Manager Matt Kachel says traffic trying to access the Overlander Bridge via Lansdowne will be out of luck for around 2 months as they do the work at the first avenue intersection.

“That will be totally blocked off there,” warned Kachel.  “We’ll turn it into directional traffic on Seymour to get people around, kind of where Seymour goes around City Hall there.”

Those hoping to avoid the construction will have to take the Halston Bridge, which itself is undergoing construction at the moment by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.

“Once we get going on Lansdowne, we’re not going to be able to stop,” said Kachel.  “We have been coordinating [with MOTI], but everybody, the trucks, are going to have to go through that way. But the thing about the Halston is they’re not stopping anybody and traffic is flowing through there.”

The construction along Lansdowne also means heavy truck traffic that would normally use the route is going to be diverted.

“Turning geometry is a bit of an issue [for the detour around 1st and Lansdowne]. They’re going to go up…use the [TransCanada] Highway or Summit is the route they’re going to need to use,” said Kachel.

While access to the Overlander Bridge via Lansdowne is expected to be restored by the end of June, the overall project along Lansdowne is expected to last until November.

For more on the Lansdowne project, go here.