Detours ahead for Vernon motorists

Vernon motorists will face more detours starting next week as city crews work to complete a sewer main renewal project on 17th Avenue.

The 3400 block of 17th Avenue between Mission Road and 35th Street will be closed to traffic starting Monday, July 20, 2020.

The work is expected to be complete by Friday, July 24.

City of Vernon crews will be on site between 7 and 4:30 p.m. each day.

The area will only be accessible to local traffic during this time while detours will reroute through traffic.

“Every effort will be made to minimize disruption in the area,” the City of Vernon said in a statement issued July 15.

This is one of the many road work projects underway throughout the city.

Traffic on 25th Avenue from Highway 6 to the Vernon Water Reclamation Centre on 43rd Street will see interruptions as sections of the busy avenue will be closed, reducing westbound traffic to one lane in the construction zone.

This project will see a major sanitary sewer upgrade and the installation of 200 mm diameter sewer pipe to convey high-strength waste from the Okanagan Spring Brewery to VWRC.

“This roadway is a heavily travelled route in our city and is adjacent to dozens of properties,” City of Vernon infrastructure manager Kirn Dhillon said.

“To minimize disruption to traffic, businesses and households along the route, and to expedite the construction process, we will be using a process called directional drilling. This method of construction will significantly reduce the impact the project has on the area and the infrastructure already in place.”

The estimated $2-million project, contracted to the Chapman Group, is expected to wrap up Oct. 30.

READ MORE: Major Vernon roadway to undergo construction next week

A detour will be in place beginning Monday, July 20, along 35th Avenue near Fire Station #1 and the Powerhouse Theatre as work, in conjunction with CN Rail, is underway. The road is expected to reopen again to traffic by the end of next week.

Access to 29th and 28th streets — on either side of the rail line – will be maintained for local traffic.

New concrete railway crossing pads and subsequent maintenance to the road, multi-use path and sidewalk will also be completed.

Traffic control will be in place during construction and motorists are reminded to follow all control measures and allow extra time to detour around the affected areas.

READ MORE: CN Rail doing repairs near Vernon road

Meanwhile, cyclists and pedestrians using the Polson Park boardwalk should prepare for intermittent closure between Monday, July 20, and Sept. 26, 2020, as city crews complete the next phase of the 15th Avenue Storm Rehabilitation Project between Highway 97 and Vernon Creek.

Bridge users could see closures that could last up to 20 minutes, while city crews work to replace around 130 metres of storm drainage pipe and a new outfall structure in the creek at the south side of the park.

Pedestrians and cyclists are urged to plan ahead or plan alternate routes for travel.

For more information on these projects and others, visit the city’s website at vernon.ca/capitalworks.

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