Screenshot from the Overlanders Bridge cam.
Image Credit: City of Kamloops webcam
April 28, 2015 - 7:27 PM
KAMLOOPS – The traffic cameras monitoring congestion during the construction on Overlanders Bridge have been so popular the city is considering adding more.
Construction began on the bridge earlier this month and the city ensured the webcams were up and running before construction started to help monitor traffic.
Public Works Director Jen Fretz says so far it is only an idea, but the city thinks possible locations could include Fortune Drive at Leigh Road, and Columbia Street at Third Avenue. Costs are estimated at $5,000 per camera, significantly cheaper than the bridge camera, which came in at $30,000 because fiber optic cable was run down the bridge.
“We’ve heard from people that the one on the bridge is good but they can’t see down Fortune, so we’re trying to look at a potential location down Fortune,” Fretz says.
The same discussion revolved around Columbia Street. If motorists can look both east and west down Columbia Street and also Third Avenue, this might be the most valuable location.
Fretz says this is all speculation as the city doesn’t know what is yet possible nor feasible. She says she cannot confirm a timeline either because staff have not yet confirmed these additional cameras are even possible.
The Ministry of Transportation has also said it is planning to add traffic cameras to the Highway 5 and Halston Avenue area in the next two weeks as well. Congestion on the Halston Connector has picked up significantly since construction started on the Overlanders Bridge. RCMP Staff Sgt. Doug Aird notes there have been several multi-vehicle crashes in the last two weeks alone.
Those tuning into the Overlanders Bridge cam will notice the bridge go down to only one lane in either direction starting Wednesday morning. The heavy concrete barriers will be crane-lifted into different positions overnight.
Construction on the Overlanders Bridge is expected to last until October while work is expected to start on Columbia Street later this spring with completion set for September.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Dana Reynolds at dreynolds@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015