Major upgrades to Highway 97A in Enderby are taking the summer off.
City council approved a Ministry of Transportation plan Monday to cease construction until September because of ongoing delays.
“They are telling us they are behind (by about a month),” said Mayor Dee Wejr.
“There have been a lot of challenges, particularly with our infrastructure, like water connections. I’m not surprised there’s been problems because I don’t ever remember the infrastructure being replaced before.”
Work must also wait until utility companies can place lines underground and that won’t occur until mid-summer.
If construction, which began in October 2010, continued, there was a concern that traffic flow would grind to a halt.
“Traffic is already heavy so there would be too much congestion during the summer,” said Coun. Greg McCune, adding the decision will benefit businesses.
“When the traffic is that slow, everyone is behind time and they won’t stop in Enderby. They will just go through town. Now there is an opportunity for everyone to have a good summer.”
Areas along the highway that have been dug up will be sealed before construction wraps up for the summer.
As part of the $4.17 million project, the ministry is installing highway lights with left-turn lanes at Hubert and Mill streets.
Other improvements are also being considered, including possibly taking out the yellow centre lines on Highway 97A at Granville Street.
“People won’t feel like they are breaking the law by going across the lines to do a left turn or go across the highway,” said Wejr.
Another option is to construct a crosswalk halfway between Mill and Hubert streets or to take the painted lines off at Cliff Street to allow for left-turn lanes.
“We can’t have both because of safety issues,” said Wejr.
