New bike lane construction starting July 4 on Abbott Street

Photo: City of Kelowna

Construction on Kelowna’s newest bike lane is set to begin Monday.

Construction is expected to cost $2.4 million and will see the Abbott Street bike lane extended between Rose and Cedar Avenues. The cost is being covered in part by federal funds and is expected to be complete in September.

“The ultimate build construction will occur between Rose and Christleton Avenues and will look similar to the existing Abbott Street corridor,” said Derek Corning, senior project manager with the City of Kelowna. “We will be adding 240 metres of bi-directional cycle track, sidewalks on both sides of the road and landscaped boulevards.”

The bike lane extension will also include lighting, parking on one side of the street near Rose Ave. and safety upgrades to the existing 3-way intersection at Christleton and Abbott Avenues.

The build will include 1,200 metres of cycle track added to the existing asphalt with concrete barriers and planter boxes as a physical buffer between vehicles and cyclists.

“In June 2021, the City delivered an online public engagement opportunity to collect feedback on the Abbott ATC extension project and received mostly positive support. The design was tweaked where opportunities existed based on the feedback as well,” Corning continues.

The construction also means that Abbott Street will be closed to through traffic between Rose and Christleton Avenues during construction with access maintained for cyclists, pedestrians, residents who live there as well as emergency vehicles.