A notice to those living on Lakeside Road was sent out Monday morning that construction has closed one portion of it.

“We are installing a new sanitary sewer pipe through this section of Lakeside Road from Finnerty to Brantford Avenue,” said Ian Chapman, City of Penticton engineer. “That part of the road will be closed at all times of the day until project completion on Oct. 30.”

Chapman said because of issues such as odour and condition of the existing pipe that runs along the lake, the city is addressing it by bypassing the old pipe and installing a new one under the road.

This work will include digging a trench through the whole section of road.

Because there is bedrock fairly close to the surface work crews will be blasting the area starting next week.

At times throughout the duration of the project Chapman said some homeowners may not be able to have vehicle access to their property but he is hoping that this inconvenience will be measured in hours rather than days.

“We look forward to making this project a success in not only terms of getting the pipe in but working on having an installation process that causes a minimal amount of inconvenience,” said Chapman.

The contractor said that they will notify residents of the area in advance and concurred in keeping the interruptions as short as possible.

The leaflet sent out to residents of the area also warned that because there will be blasting required, residents who border the project should be aware that any fragile or valuable items that could possibly be damaged due to vibration should be taken down or secured for the duration of the project.

Meanwhile, those heading north past Summerland should also be prepared for road closures as danger rock removals have started taking place on Highway 97. Jacqui Lloyd, public information officer for the project, said the work will continue for two to three weeks and road closures will be necessary to protect the travelling public.

The road closures are expected to be for less than 20 minutes then traffic is cleared. This will be continuous from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Lloyd added that due to the nature of the work they are doing, travelers might experience longer than anticipated closures and unexpected delays at any time, without notice. Minor delays also may still be possible on weekends for danger rock removal.

“Once this work is complete we return to Monday through Friday minor delays when our work requires closure. When possible we are trying to leave the highway open ... please plan an additional 15 minutes into your regular trip at all times,” she said.

Lloyd also reminded drivers that because the route has changed significantly and just because travelers are on the new highway for portions it doesn’t mean you can drive highway speeds. The posted speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour at all hours of the day, even when workers are not on the site.

For more information on the Highway 97 project just north of Summerland and updates on road closures visit www.arthon.com.