Phasing announced for Centennial Way

News. . . It’s taking a bit of time these days to drive down Beach Avenue with construction well underway and it will be at least October before the machines tearing up the road fall silent.

The more than $3 million waterfront walkway and road improvement project began in June and now most of the road and sidewalks from Eighth to 12th Streets have been torn up, representing Phase 1 of three project phases.

According to new flyers being distributed by the District of Peachland, residents can count on Phase 1 work to continue until sometime in August. The current phase represents the longest section of the project.

Sometime in August, crews will change focus to Phase 2, which will see the area from Fifth to Eighth Streets torn up. The second phase is expected to last until late September and will include cutting into Cousins Park, between Sixith and Eighth Streets, so that the new walkway can run on the park side of the street in that area.

Phase 3 will see work begin in late September on the last section of Beach Avenue to see improvements: 12th to 13th Streets, in front of The Gateway. Completion of the last phase is expected some time in October.

The district previously announced The Gateway area would not be disrupted until after the busy summer season.

Parking is basically nonexistant in the section of Beach Avenue that is being worked on. The district advises there is alternate parking available in the district owned lot behind the Edgewater Hotel and in the district lot behind the Peachland Baptist Church.

The project will see a new sidewalk built on the west side of Beach Avenue, except between Sixth and Eighth Streets. A new, three-metre wide walkway will be built on the lake side of the road, from Fifth to 13th Streets, except along Cousins Park, where the walkway will shift for two blocks to run adjacent to the park.

All of Beach Avenue, from Fifth to 13th Streets, will be repaved and a boulevard will be installed that will separate walkers from traffic. The walkway addition, which adds to five blocks of walkway downtown that was built two years ago, amount to a 1.2 km extension. Traffic calming measures and painted bike lanes are also being added.

The entire walkway, from Heritage park to 13th Street, has been named Centennial Way, in honour of Peachland’s 100th birthday, which was celebrated in 2009.

Two thirds of the project cost is covered by senior government infrastructure grants, while the remainder is being paid for by developers through development cost charges.