The purchase of a $1,460,000 property by the City of Penticton is set to address congestion at a busy intersection.
Located at 2509 South Main St., the City says the purchase of the property will address congestion at Kinney Ave. between Skaha Lake Rd. and South Main St.
The property that was purchased is the current site of the Shielings Motel, consisting of 13 one bedroom units.
The City will take possession of the property purchased in March and plans on having all 13 units removed by the end of the year. Currently, 12 of the 13 units in the motel are occupied. The city says they plan to work with effected tenants in transitioning to other accommodation.
The area on South Main St. has faced congestion problems for years and this solution has long been in the works.
READ MORE: Penticton motel site could solve traffic woes
“The City has monitored traffic in this area for a number of years and has investigated various solutions during that time,” said city engineer, Ian Chapman.
“Several roads converge at Kinney Avenue where the current alignment and short length between South Main St. and Skaha Lake Rd. restrict capacity to accommodate increasing traffic volumes. The plan is to eliminate this bottleneck by creating more efficient connections around it.”
The area that has long faced congestion problems. (Google Maps)
The City plans on installing a roundabout at Galt Ave., South Main St. and Pineview Rd. as part of a larger multi-site traffic management solution that also includes a new signalized intersection at Galt Ave. and Skaha Lake Rd., converting the section of Kinney Ave. between South Main St. and Skaha Lake Rd. to a pedestrian and bike route and minor lane marking upgrades at Warren Ave. and Main St.
READ MORE: Penticton seeking additional downtown input on potential cycling routes
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