Perimeter Road works begin
Photo: Contributed
Construction on the much-anticipated South Perimeter Road in the Upper Mission is finally beginning.
The new 2.9 kilometer route, which has been designated as an alternative route inside and outside the mission area for years, will connect Gordon Drive with Stewart Road West when it is completed next summer.
It will provide a third access to and from the Upper Mission.
City officials say the permit is almost complete and the crews are mobilizing to begin construction.
“The equipment will be brought to the construction site this week and the crews will prepare the land for the construction of the road. The new connection is expected to open next summer,” said Johannes Soufferer, head of the real estate department.
The South Perimeter Road was designated as part of the Kelowna Official Community Plan in 1995 and was originally scheduled to be built towards the end of the decade.
However, the route has been speeded up at the request of a developer at The Ponds.
“A number of downstream improvements have already been completed, including on Stewart and Saucier Streets
“Further improvements to Bedford and DeHart roads may be needed once South Perimeter Road is operational and we have a better understanding of the traffic generated by the new road.”
The $ 10.8 million project is being built and funded by Ponds Ventures Inc., which will be compensated as 80 percent of all future transportation development costs incurred in the Southwest Mission Sector until the full cost is reimbursed .
