Traffic congestion in downtown Trail isn't set to ease up yet as paving along Victoria Street is set to roll this week.
The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) completed a stretch of highway along Rossland Avenue last week and are now moving into the city's Victoria Street Corridor Project zone with paving set for the Highway 22/3B intersection to the bridge deck.
“The paving through downtown Trail is a part of a corridor strategy that has seen Highway 3B resurfaced from the junction with Highway 3 up at Nancy Greene, through Rossland and Warfield and now through Trail during the past two years,” explained Kate Trotter, government communications and public engagement for MOTI.
Pavement along this corridor required resurfacing but the ministry reached out to municipalities along Highway 3B in advance to find synergies. In Trail this meant the Victoria Street Corridor Project that is well underway.
The city's $1.6 million infrastructure improvement between Tamarac Avenue and the Victoria Street Bridge broke ground at the end of July and has dominated the city's core since. Drivers have had to plan accordingly, with lane closures adding extra time on a regular commute.
“The Trail Revitalization project is an independent project that the city designed, tendered and constructed,” confirmed Trotter. “The ministry also provided funding for the asphalt pavement tie-ins from the side streets to the highway, as well as crosswalk painting and electrical upgrades.”
The $1.4 million ministry project includes resurfacing approximately 1.5 kilometres of Highway 3B from Railway Lane to Victoria Street Bridge. Under this same project funding, the ministry will also resurface about 5.5 km of side roads in Fruitvale, Castlegar and Nelson. In addition, this project will also asphalt 6,000 square metres of stop-ways on either end of the runway at the Trail Regional Airport to make it safer and more reliable for take offs and landings (Regional District of Kootenay Boundary is contributing $170,000).