Photo: City of West Kelowna

Detour route map

The ongoing work to connect the new Rose Valley Water Treatment plant to users will include a three day closure of Parkinson Road (upper Westlake Road) next week.

Crews will be installing a storm-water tank and completing the watermain crossing to connect to the new plant.

Drivers will have to detour via Bear Creek Road and Westside Road to get around the closure that is scheduled from Wednesday, Sept. 27 to Saturday, Sept. 30. The detour will add 10-15 minutes to the average commute.

The closure will also affect bus routes along Parkinson Road. Check with School District 23 and BC Transit for the details.

The contractor will have message boards on site 72 hours in advance of the road closure – one each at Parkinson, Bear Creek, and Westlake roads – as a reminder to motorists.

While they will try to complete the work during the allotted time, the City of West Kelowna notes the schedule could be impacted with weather and other factors.

Cyclists and pedestrians are encourages to find alternative routes as well because construction crews will not be able to guarantee access.

The new water plant was one of the municipal assets that was designated for structure protection from the McDougall Creek wildfire. While there are concerns the fire may have delayed the project the city says construction is still expected to be done later this fall.

"We plan to provide customers with a completion date as soon as it’s confirmed. Please follow the project webpage... to receive updates," said the city in a statement to Castanet on Wednesday.