Penticton motorists heading along Government Street will have plenty of room for left turns starting today.
Line painting crews completed work on markings for the new centre left-turn lane between Eckhardt and Duncan Avenues on Tuesday night. City engineer Ian Chapman said the lane was expected to be opened to traffic today at 7 a.m. once all the traffic cones were removed.
Chapman said a close eye will be kept on traffic safety while motorists get used to the new lane.
“There is certainly is going to be some scrutiny to make sure that it unfolds and works well,” he said. “With anything very new like this in the city, inevitably there will be some teething problems.”
Chapman said any possible minor changes will be considered, if required.
In addition to two overhead signs at the north and south ends of the project, other signs advising of the new lane are located at several points along the street.
Although total costs are estimated at about $30,000, a newly-found source of funding from ICBC could pick up a majority of the bill. City council recently decided to eliminate some proposed concrete medians from the new left-turn lane in a bid to reduce the projected $40,000 cost of the project.
