The latest video on kicking horse pass. Looking great!

• Video Link

New Kicking Horse Pass photos.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...3c6a8e53_b.jpgCaribou Wall and Viaduct by B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1888718d_b.jpgWestBound Lanes Taking Shape by B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, on Flickr

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelown...an-Lake#415923

No surprise there .

Yep, posted about that in the Kelowna section...

Kelowna really does get the poop end of the stick for infrastructure investment from the province.

An urban area soon to be nearing 300 000 divided by a like that relies on a single crossing... Not many places in the developed world have that situation.

On the other hand in Kamloops it seems as if the province is at least now considering interchanges on highway 5 at Halston and Shuswap lake road. How far in the future this plan is we have yet to see.

Also looks that under the same program major upgrades to the #1 between the highway 5 junction and Pat Road are at least being studied. Again, what this actually means in the long run we have yet to know.

4 lanes on Highway 33 from Kelowna to Big White please!

Driving to big white everyday for 2 years for work I would say that would be unnecessary. Maybe a passing lane or 2 going up the hill but 4 lanes would be overkill.

Well that’s depressing & frustrating. :(

In regards to that I posted this in the Kelowna thread:

How can they “not even be close to construction even if given the money today” for the interchanges at Boucherie and Westlake roads? Have these not been in the design phase for nearly a decade now? I think that’s enough time to plan two interchanges.

Also curious to how they will approach the elimination of the couplet through downtown Westbank…

The sensible approaches would be to tunnel the highway under downtown Westbank followed by the less favorable option of a new free flow bypass around the core.

But those are the more big thinking long term solutions that would be done in all other developed countries.

I bet what we get is converting either Dobbin Rd. or Main St. into an even busier at grade stroad.

At bare minimum the 20 year plan should be upgrading the 97 between the Connector interchange and the bridge into a free flow artery and upgrading the 97 between UBC and the south end of Vernon into a free flowing artery, especially since the far superior second crossing and free flowing relocated 97 via Clement is dead.

Sure bookending Kelowna with two free flowing sections of the 97 will cause huge issues for Harvey, but this is the path the province (and city now) have chosen, so may as well demand the best we can get out of that…

^ Thanks Metro.
I kind of chuckle when I read in that article they are considering adding a 6th lane to the existing Bennett bridge given the criticism of same when it was built.

Some promising news for Kamloops at least. Would love to see them upgrade that stretch of #1 from the junction with Highway 5 to Pat Road.

Thanks again.

Well 33 is also the highway to Castlegar so 4 lanes to Kelowna is a bit of a fantasy of mine. “Coquihalla Kootenay Connector”.

I'm sure some of the locals would disagree with me but there's a bunch of properties on either one of the couplet roads that could stand to be demolished for a wider two-way road. Downtown Westbank was always pretty meh when I lived there.

Considering the extra cost and maintenance for a tunnel, I don't see why they'd bother looking into that as an option.

It was such a short sighted decision back then and was a problem really shortly after too. I doubt they've learned their lesson but it sure is frustrating to hear them talk about widening now.

Can't say I've ever driven 33 past Big White and went "man, it's so busy on this road. I hope they 4-lane it soon!" More passing lanes? Sure. I usually end up getting annoyed between Rock Creek and Midway and would love more places to pass there.

Like I said more of a fantasy. But think of it as 4 lanes between Hope and Merritt. Not really needed but part of a larger project. 4 lanes across Southern BC as an alternative to Highway 1.

In that case, why not twin Crowsnest Highway instead?
Alberta’s twinning its portion of Crowsnest Highway.

Ya that would be next. 33 from Kelowna through big white to rock creek. Then twin Crowsnest from there through Castlegar to Cranbrook. That way the Kootenays are connected to the Coquihalla highway system.

I recall, some years (or decades) back, the NDP MLA or MP for one of the Kootenay ridings was floating the idea of a new Coquihalla-style freeway to connect the Okanagan with the Kootenays. It wasn't a government proposal, just their idea for a new connection. Apologies as I haven't been able to source this, so I'm going on vague recollections...