Point Intersection Construction

South Main Street and Kinney Avenue

• South Main Street and Kinney Avenue: Details and Map

  Beginning Monday, May 27, crews will shift to South Main Street and Kinney Avenue to install new underground utilities and complete traffic safety upgrades. 

  This requires a temporary road closure between Dawson Avenue and Secrest Avenue, which will be in place during normal construction hours, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Also, Kinney Avenue (east of Skaha Lake Road) will be permanently closed and transformed into a greenspace for pedestrians and cyclists. A new pedestrian/cyclist flasher will also be installed to enhance safety.

  Infrastructure work throughout this section includes removing and replacing water, storm and electrical infrastructure, upgrading sidewalks, curbs and gutters, and installing new streetlights. Construction is expected to extend into late summer.

  The City’s Engineering department is reaching out to residents living in the immediate area to notify them of the temporary disruption, including details of the road detours. 

  Map of Detour 

  

• Kinney Avenue south of Cherry Lane Shopping Centre: Details and Map

  Work will begin on Kinney Avenue south of Cherry Lane Shopping Centre starting Monday, May 13. While this will not require a full road closure, anyone travelling in this area should watch for signage and be aware that starting Monday, May 27, the entrances to the parking lot off Kinney Avenue may be temporarily closed during construction hours. Shoppers are advised to access the shopping centre off Atkinson Street, Warren Avenue or Main Street. 

  

Project Overview

• City News: Project Updates

  Sign up for updates to your mailbox here

  • May 10: 2024: Point Intersection construction ready to shift to South Main Street and Kinney Avenue 
  • Feb. 20, 2024: Video update on 2024 construction
  • Feb. 12, 2024: Watch for detours along Skaha Lake Road as next phase of Point Intersection work begins - Download the fact sheet here
  • Dec. 6, 2023: Mild temperatures give construction crews a jumpstart on 2024 work
  • Nov. 15, 2023: Road closures draw to an end after busy year of construction
  • Oct. 27, 2023: New Point Intersection roundabout takes shape, watch for traffic changes on South Main Street
  • Sept. 29, 2023: Expect construction delays on section of Warren Avenue throughout October
  • Aug. 18, 2023: Watch for detours and traffic disruption next week at Pineview and Dartmouth intersection
  • July 25, 2023: Intersection of Galt Avenue and South Main Street closed at all hours until further notice
  • July 13, 2023: Foot and bike traffic remains open on South Main, watch for flaggers
  • June 19, 2023: Point Intersection construction ready to shift to Pineview and South Main
  • June 19, 2023: Letter to residents part 2 (expanded area) - Construction work on South Main and Pineview
  • June 6, 2023: Capital works projects strengthen City’s infrastructure
  • May 17, 2023: Letter to residents - Construction work on South Main and Pineview
  • May 5, 2023: Point Intersection construction ready to begin on Galt Avenue
  • April 24, 2023: Construction set to begin on Point Intersection projects
  • March 22, 2023: Council Highlights - Decision on Point Intersection work deferred
  • Feb. 17, 2023: City awarded $500,000 towards Lake-to-Lake cycling route. The funding will be used to advance the work on the section of the route that will take cyclists from Kinney Ave., across Main St. to South Main St., as part of the Point Intersection project.
  • Jan. 13, 2023: City begins detailed design on final section of Lake-to-Lake Route
  • Feb. 15, 2022: City gearing up for two transportation construction projects
  • June 17, 2022: City advancing plans to fund upcoming major capital projects

  

Skaha Lake Road & Main Street

• What this Work Involves

  This work involves: 

  • Installing a signalized intersection at Skaha Lake Road and Galt Avenue.
  • Upgrades to sanitary, water and storm infrastructure. 
  • Lighting improvements and relocation of overhead electrical to underground. 
  • Milling pavement.
  • Paving and line painting. 

   

  Download the fact sheet 

• Traffic Detours + Map

  Traffic is being detoured during daily working hours to allow for heavy machinery to conduct construction work. Anyone driving on Skaha Lake Road toward Galt Avenue should watch for traffic personnel, signage and detours for the coming months.

  For drivers travelling southbound on Skaha Lake Road, access is reduced to a single lane of traffic. 

  Also, those travelling northbound toward Galt Avenue will face a detour along McKenzie Street via Brandon Ave and McGraw Street. These detours will remain in place during daily construction hours (open evenings and weekends).  These detours will remain in place during daily construction hours (open evenings and weekends). 

  Access to businesses will be available from the southbound lanes. If travelling northbound, please follow the detour signs. 

  

  Download the fact sheet

• How to Access Businesses on Skaha Lake Road

  Access to the businesses will be available as usual for vehicles travelling southbound on Skaha Lake Road. If travelling northbound, watch for on-site signage and follow the detours to access the businesses from the southbound lanes.

  

  

• Letters to Residents & Businesses

  Feb. 12, 2024: Letter to residents regarding Point Intersection construction 

  Feb. 12, 2024: Letter to businesses regarding Point Intersection construction 

  Download the fact sheet 

   

• BC Transit Bus Detour

  Please be advised of the following alert for South Okanagan-Similkameen Transit System - Route 20:

  Skaha Lake Rd Closure
  Skaha Lake Rd will be closed between Brandon Ave and Kinney Ave from Monday February 26th until mid July of this year. The two northbound lanes will be closed through the day, and there will be one lane southbound remaining open. The #3 bus will operate as normal. The #5 bus will operate as normal southbound, and will detour via McGraw St northbound.  
    
  The #15NR bus, #16 & #20 buses will detour via Kinney Ave instead of using Galt Ave. The two stops northbound on Skaha Lake Rd between Galt Ave and Kinney Ave will not be in service for the #5, #15 & #20 buses during this time period. The southbound stop on Skaha Lake Rd between Kinney Ave and Galt Ave will not be in service for the #15, #16 & #20 buses. 

  Find out more here
   

Construction Timeline

• Skaha Lake Road & Main Street (Underway)

  Construction is underway on a section of Skaha Lake Road. Anyone driving on Skaha Lake Road toward Galt Avenue should watch for traffic personnel and signage, and anticipate delays.  

  This work involves:

  • Installing a signalized intersection at Skaha Lake Road and Galt Avenue.
  • Upgrades to sanitary, water and storm drainage infrastructure. 
  • Lighting improvements and relocation of overhead electrical to underground.
  • Removal and replacement of sidewalks, curbs and gutters.
  • Milling pavement, paving and line painting. 

   

  Download the fact sheet

• South Main Street, Kinney Avenue + Lake-to-Lake Route (Starting May 21)

  Work continues along South Main Street to connect the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route from Kinney to Galt, including a pedestrian / cyclist activated flasher crossing South Main from Kinney.

  Once the signalized intersection at Skaha Lake Road and Galt Avenue is operational, Kinney Avenue will be permanently closed to vehicle traffic between Skaha Lake Road and South Main Street, converting this to green space. The signalized intersection will be replaced and improvements made along Kinney Avenue toward Atkinson. 

  The remaining section of the Lake-to-Lake Route will be installed, connecting the existing work at Atkinson Street down South Main Street to just south of the roundabout.

  Other work includes: 

  • Updating sanitary, water and storm drain infrastructure. 
  • Curb, gutter and sidewalk work. 
  • Electrical upgrades and improved lighting. 
• MOSTLY COMPLETE: Galt Avenue

  Work is mostly complete on the east end of Galt Avenue, with the west end to finish in 2024.

  This work included curb, gutter and sidewalk work plus paving, as well as:

  • Upgrades to sanitary, water and storm drainage infrastructure. 
  • Installing underground electrical and street lighting.

  However, some work at the Salvation Army frontage is to be finished, as well as work along the west end of Galt. 

  

• COMPLETE: Greenwood Avenue & Dartmouth Drive sidewalk and traffic calming

  Work is now complete along Greenwood Drive and Dartmouth Drive.

  Background

  Over the past few years, the City has received numerous complaints of speeding and requests for traffic calming and sidewalks on Greenwood Drive and Dafoe Street. The City, with the help of a traffic consultant, reviewed the concerns and identified changes to improve the overall safety for all residents and users of the neighbourhood streets. 

  In July, 2021, the City wrote to Greenwood Drive residents to proposed changes, which were planned to be phased-in over time, as budget permitted. Phase 1 was implemented in 2021, and included a speed reduction to 30km/hr on Greenwood Drive, Dafoe Street, Greenwood Court, Greenwood Place, Laird Place and Dafoe Place, as well as a reduction to 20km/hr for the advisory speed for the lower corner of Greenwood Drive.

  Following the signage change, the City conducted speed monitoring, and unfortunately, the signage changes had very limited impact on driver behaviour. The City consulted again with residents in October 2022 and proceeded with both Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the identified recommendations, installing a sidewalk on the north side of Greenwood Drive, connecting along Dartmouth Drive to Pineview Road. 

  Related documents (downloads)

  • 2021-06-21 Greenwood Drive letter to residents 
  • 2022-09-28 Greenwood Drive letter to residents 
  • 2023-04-12 Greenwood construction drawings 

   

• COMPLETE: Pineview Road and lower section of South Main Street + New Roundabout

  Work on the lower section of Pineview Road and South Main Street is now complete. This work included:

  • Upgrades to sanitary, water and storm drainage infrastructure. 
  • Electrical upgrades. 
  • Curb, gutter and sidewalk construction. 

• COMPLETE: Warren Avenue Paving

  This project included milling and paving a section of Warren Avenue.

Background

• Drone Footage: Showing Congestion During Peak Times

  This drone footage was filmed during a peak time (3 p.m. on April 24, 2023), showing congestion throughout the Point Intersection area. 

• Studies & Reports

  The intersection was first studied in the 2005 Master Transportation Plan, and considered a number of high-level options to address queueing and congestion due to the short length of Kinney Avenue and the configuration of the intersection of the five different streets and avenues.  

  In 2008/2009, the City engaged Urban Systems to further study this area. In 2018, the City re-engaged Urban Systems to update the analysis, and this forms the most recent technical study that has guided the project.    

  Through 2019, property acquisition was authorized, and over the next few years the City proceeded with the necessary acquisitions as well as the detail design.  The budget for construction was included and approved by Council in both the 2021 and 2022 financial plans.  In 2021, the updated Transportation Master Plan was adopted by Council.

  Related Reports

  • 2009 Urban Systems Study 
  • 2018 Point Intersection Report Urban Systems 
  • 2020 Transportation Master Plan: All files can be viewed on the TMP webpage
• What is the Point Intersection – and where is it?

  The Point Intersection is the name given to a group of construction projects located within Penticton’s southeast region, including the intersection of Skaha Lake Road and South Main Street. These projects are designed to address traffic congestion and safety issues throughout an area where large volumes of traffic converge. This two-year, $10.5 million project began in spring 2023 and is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2024. 

  Scroll down on this page for maps.

Maps

Have Questions?

• Contact Us

  For questions about construction of the roads or bike lanes, contact the Engineering Department. To make a suggestion or report a concern, please use our online form. 

  Engineering Department
  Phone: 250-490-2521
  Email: engineering@penticton.ca