Miramichi city council has unanimously approved the purchase of a parcel of land in Chatham that city engineering director Darren Row says is needed for ongoing street upgrades.

The triangular corner lot located at the intersection of Water Street and Duke Street will be purchased from Irving Oil Properties for $20,000. The city is currently carrying out street upgrades that would see the portion of Water Street between Duke Street and Johnson Avenue be converted from one-way traffic to two-way traffic.

Row says the funds for the purchase will be taken from the general capital reserve, and that the land deal is not expected to impact the timeline for the project or its budget.