Having trouble finding a parking spot at Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail? Get used to it, because it will get worse before it gets better.
Interior Health says it’s tried to improve parking access at the hospital over the past couple of years by repainting lines to allow for more vehicles, increasing the number of accessible stalls, and increasing the number of stalls designated for seniors and expectant mothers.
But the MRI expansion project, expected to begin next year, will gobble up 14 stalls. Once the project is complete, the health authority expects to add up to 39 new stalls, and gravel sections at the far end of the parking lot will be paved. However, the MRI project isn’t expected to be finished until the summer of 2028.
In an email, Interior Health said it encourages you to arrive ahead of your appointment or ask someone to drop you off and pick you up so that you don’t have to find parking. They also encourage using public transit to get to and from the hospital.
On Tuesday afternoon, a Vista Radio reporter found a handful of spots available at the back of the lot, as well as one vacant spot about halfway down.
Parking at the hospital in Trail is free, unlike several other Interior Health facilities, including East Kootenay Regional Hospital in Cranbrook, Penticton Regional Hospital, and Kelowna General Hospital (which has its own parkade).
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