Why Penticton’s lake-to-lake bike route may be delayed
By the end the year, cyclists will be able to use Penticton's lake-to-lake bike route to get from Okanagan Lake to Skaha Lake, but the project will only be three-quarters complete so a detour will have to be taken.
Work on the third quarter of the project is currently underway.
Kristen Dixon, Penticton’s general manager of infrastructure, said concrete is being poured to extend curbs and gutters and work on sidewalks will begin in the next couple weeks. Underground utility work is being wrapped up and crews are finishing surface restoration at intersections on the route.
“That’ll be buttoned up pretty soon,” she said.
But not every objective of the current phase can be completed right away, as global supply chain issues have stalled traffic control equipment from arriving on time, Dixon said.
READ MORE: Bike lane inches closer to completion in Penticton
After a break, work is expected to resume and be completed in the fall, which will reduce construction during the busiest time of year for tourism.
Once the third phase is completed later this year, it will extend the bike lane from where the previous phase left off near Fairview Road and Duncan Avenue. Most of the new section will be part of Atkinson Street, and reach as far as Kinney Avenue, which is at the south side of the Cherry Lane Mall. Doing so will put many more homes close to the route, as well as Cherry Lane Shopping Centre.
“As we get outside of the downtown core it’s really starting to connect the residential areas to the route,” Dixon said.
When phase three is complete, cyclists will be able to make use of the route for its lake-to-lake purpose. Once they reach Cherry Lane, they can ride one block east to South Main Street, where bike lanes – albeit not protected – can take them the rest of the way to Skaha Lake.
"That section just won’t be to the same all-ages-and-abilities standard," she said.
Phase four of the project will create protected bike lanes along the same route upon completion.
Some sections of phase three may get opened before the entire project is complete, but Dixon said those may be "awkward" routes until they connect to the rest of the network.
READ MORE: Why Kamloops, Okanagan winter cyclists are envious of Penticton
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