Pedestrians will soon have a better way to cross a busy street.
A year since it was announced, construction of a crosswalk spanning Kalum St. at Davis Ave. in front of the Copperside convenience store and Esso gas bar is underway.
City public works director Rob Schibli said that the project will be complete sometime within the next three weeks, done mainly by the city’s construction crews.
The project was considered necessary for “pedestrian safety enhancement,” said Schibli, as it creates a “more visible location and a pedestrian-activated signal will stop traffic at a red light to allow pedestrian crossing.”
Vehicles turning left onto Kalum from the stop sign at Davis where it intersects Kalum will have wait for pedestrians to cross.
An existing crosswalk a block north adjacent to the Willows apartment building will be eventually moved, Schibli added.
Midway through the crosswalk construction it appears the $60,000 budgeted for the project would cover the total cost, he said. ICBC is covering some of the cost.
The city construction season is wrapping up as the snow creeps down the mountain, and this is one of several projects still underway.
An extension of the Grand Trunk Pathway parallel to Hwy16 west toward Frank St. from its current end at the intersection of Hwy16 and Hwy113 is in progress as is a major overhaul of pavement and water mains on a block of McConnell Ave. in the horseshoe.
Most of the McConnell project is complete, however repaving may take longer. The city is also hoping to complete the paving of the pathway extension by mid-month, with landscaping left until next year.