Why some Kelowna streets still have gravel shoulders
If you have ever wondered why downtown Kelowna has so many gravel shoulders and thought it was because the city is too cheap or lazy to pave them you’d be wrong. Those gravel shoulders are part of the drainage system, a relic from before this was the fastest growing city in the country.
As Kelowna’s population has exploded over the last few decades the city has had to prioritize what infrastructure gets upgraded, and gravel shoulders still serve as an effective drainage system.
“The gravel shoulders are part of our drainage infrastructure, and it's a legacy from 100 years ago. We started off with gravel roads, and then we came in later and added pavement to the road, but we didn't pave the whole thing. And today, we've kind of morphed a lot of those into gravel shoulders, which allow drainage to go down into the soil,” the city’s manager of utility planning Rod MacLean told iNFOnews.ca.
The gravel shoulders are typically in neighbourhoods with single family homes that have lawns that also serve to soak up rain water.
Gravel shoulders are simple, natural drainage infrastructure that allows rain water to soak into the ground and doesn't need to be upgraded yet.
The Central Okanagan’s population hit 247,000 in 2023 and is expected to keep on growing, according to the most recent report from the Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission. BC Stats expects the Central Okanagan to grow to roughly 350,000 people by 2040, and Kelowna’s population is expected to hit 180,000 by 2040.
MacLean said since the city is growing so quickly it’s financially responsible to prioritize upgrades by building what is necessary when it’s needed.
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“We just don't do it immediately. It goes with development,” he said.
Kelowna has a notoriously high water table meaning you don’t have to dig down very far to find soil that is completely saturated with water.
The city’s high water table creates challenges for construction, but typically doesn’t impact Kelowna’s drainage system and is not the reason why gravel shoulders are still in some areas of downtown.
“The water table is always a design concern. Only in extreme, extreme events does the water table pop up high to impact our storm drains,” MacLean said.
MacLean said allowing rain water to just soak into the ground is easier and mitigates some flooding and water quality risks with piping stormwater into Okanagan Lake or streams.
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