...and that highway already took forever and ever to get to the coast.

The Ministry of Transportation is expected to release a study on how to proceed with improvements to the Highway 97, Beaver Lake Road, Glenmore Road intersection in the fall.

Answering questions from Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick Monday, Transportation Minister Claire Trevena says the ministry has been studying both short, and long-term solutions for the intersection for a couple of years.

"It's a quick change in speed limit," admitted Trevena.

"It's always very difficult when you go from 90 to 60."

When questioned about funding for the project, Trevena indicated once the recommendations are released, the ministry will look to see how it matches with other priorities, within the region, and provincially.

"Our capital plan is evolving," she noted.

"We are looking at how we can make sure that these sort of studied works actually come to fruition."

However, she did indicate the project is not currently funded within the government's three-year capital plan.

She expects that announcement to come out as part of the government's 2021 budget in February.

The tricky intersection has long been a trouble spot in Lake Country.

During an open house earlier this year, ministry spokesman Darrell Gunn agreed improvements are needed to improve both traffic flow and safety.

"There are three grade separation options that are south of the Glenmore Rd. and Highway 97 intersection. One is in the Commonwealth Rd. area, the other two are in between that location and the current intersection," he told Castanet News at the time.


https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelown...is-fall#305255

They better skip the “intermediate” upgrade step. That translates into either never becoming fully built or pissing money away.

Also when are they going to release their revised and “upgraded” plan for the new interchange in West Kelowna on the 97? Who knows at this point, maybe it will be “upgraded” from an interchange to a protected T at double the cost...

Also that new website is a nightmare to navigate, no idea where the links are to countless projects.

So when does the work on the final phase of the Kicking Horse Pass east of Golden start up? Looking forward to that finished, not looking forward to the work actually happening lol.

This fall (unless the NDP somehow screws it up).
http://https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/kicking-horse-canyon-project

I think after this, they need to switch their focus to Revelstoke to Golden because that section seems to be the most problematic. Another fatal accident this morning.

Isn’t that part under Parks Canada’s jurisdiction? As much as I agree that there are too many fatal crashes along that stretch, with all the focus now on the remainder through Yoho, what do?

Yoho makes a little bit of sense as once complete, it will be continuously twinned (aka "4 laned") between the Alberta border and Golden. Only the sections that pass through National Parks are under Federal jurisdiction. Doing a quick calculation using the Major Intersections list from BC 1's Wikipedia page (the numbers are from the BC Landmark KM Inventory):

• 149 km from the downtown Revelstoke turnoff (Victoria Ave) to Hwy 95 in Golden
• 57 km through Mount Revelstoke & Glacier National Parks (federal jurisdiction)

According to Global News, the accident was 6 km west of Revelstoke, so there are no national parks.

Okay, I stand corrected.
Darn it’s the dreaded Three Valley Gap.

$600M for 5 kms of highway. It's desperately needed but dear lord that's going to cost a pretty penny.

Say, which one’s more corrupt? NDP, or the Liberals?
Honest question here.

The payback probably is pretty reasonable. Once the whole section is done I could see time savings of 15 minutes or more. Multiply that by hundreds of trucks per day and the time saved driving (ie reduced costs) and it adds up. And that isn't taking into account private vehicles and money saved by the health care system from a safer road. Years ago a Parks Canada employee told me the cost to the economy of closing the highway was millions of dollars per day. Reducing travel time makes a huge difference.

That's going to be an interesting and expensive section to twin! Will be nice when it's done though, in 2044 lol.

Three Valley Gap is in a difficult situation. High and unstable slopes, next to a lake, no immediately accessible bypass for a new road, and probably some local pushback for tourism reasons if a realignment is suggested.

You can't just scale the mountainside here with a new road since everything is so steep at the valley. You can maybe build a cantilevered bridge over the edge of the lake but that doesn't solve the unstable slope issues. Despite that, it's probably still the most likely option.

The nuclear option is to just bypass this whole area and build a new mountain pass between Malakwa and Revelstoke. That would be really expensive, really difficult, and create another winter headache for drivers. Here's a quick idea I put in Google Earth out of curiosity:

https://i.imgur.com/pLmqV59.png

As long as the slopes are more stable there, I guess~
@swimmer_spe has effectively “banned” me from proposing freeway routes in B.C. :P
(Context: I’ve been working hard at a Trans-Canada freeway proposal in Ontario. Out of 1964 km, 25% already exists or has been planned by MTO. I’ve drawn up another 55%. The link’s in the main TCH thread.)

I agree. With the number of closures we see every year it wouldn't take long at all for that project to pay for itself. If this was a transit project most people wouldn't be questioning the amount even though the economic payback is arguably a lot less than what this highway generates.

Well, improving alternate routes for closures might be a good option. Three Valley Gap may require a stacked highway with very high associated costs. The Columbia River Highway 23 route south could be extended with a highway down the west side to Arrowhead, a bridge there, and a westward cutoff to Highway 6. It could all be two lane.

A highway 23 connection between Mica Dam and the South Yellowhead Highway was investigated back around 1990, and probably since then. Perhaps it should be resurrected.

https://www.castanet.net/news/West-K...s-in-Peachland

Yea so I'm upset. This is the 3rd busiest 2 lane highway in Western Canada. If it were anywhere else in Canada or the US it would be a freeway. Every time I drive through Peachland there is almost never a break in traffic. And yet we have to wait 20 years for a four-lane upgrade? Unreal.

Feel free to send input!

https://engage.gov.bc.ca/peachlandstudy

Wow!

So they have completely abandoned the full twinning of this section?

Just wow...

How many major downgrades to interior highway projects is this now for the interior?

The NDP really do love giving the interior the finger.

Fuck intern improvements.

How many intern phases and minor bandaids must be added before a real solution is done?

This is the fourth or fifth interior highway project that has now been downsized or pushed decades further down the road by the NDP over the last few years.

Fuck they love studies.

One would think that the current situation would be expediting such projects for stimulus...