BC Highway Construction

[DarkArconio]

The latest video on kicking horse pass. Looking great!

• Video Link

[madog222]

New Kicking Horse Pass photos.

Caribou Wall and Viaduct by B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, on Flickr

WestBound Lanes Taking Shape by B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, on Flickr

[flipper316]

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/41...econd-bridge-across-Okanagan-Lake#415923

No surprise there .

[Metro-One]

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.

[Metro-One]

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.

[Denscity]

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

[kev_427]

Originally Posted by Denscity

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.

[craner]

Originally Posted by flipper316

https://www.castanet.net/news/Kelowna/41...econd-bridge-across-Okanagan-Lake#415923

No surprise there .

Well that’s depressing & frustrating.

[Metro-One]

Originally Posted by craner

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…

[craner]

^ 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.

Originally Posted by Metro-One

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.

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.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by kev_427

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

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

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.

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

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.

Originally Posted by craner

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.

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.

Originally Posted by Denscity

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

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.

[Denscity]

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.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Denscity

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.

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

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.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by Denscity

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...

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by Tvisforme

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...

Yes you are correct.
In fact I still have the news clippings from both Castlegar and Kelowna newspapers lol.

[craner]

^Interesting - would like to see what the idea was.

I would love to see #3 Crowsnest twinned from Ft. MacLeod west into BC, through or around Cranbrook and on to Curzon, and then 95 to the US border at Kingsgate. Then if the Americans could continue twinning 95 down to Coeur d’Alene we could access I-90 much easier.

Would also be great if they could continue twinning #3 westward through BC to Hope where it joins #1 & #5.

And for Christ sake switch the #1 & #5 designations so the TCH is a freeway already. :

[Denscity]

Originally Posted by craner

^Interesting - would like to see what the idea was.

I would love to see #3 Crowsnest twinned from Ft. MacLeod west into BC, through or around Cranbrook and on to Curzon, and then 95 to the US border at Kingsgate. Then if the Americans could continue twinning 95 down to Coeur d’Alene we could access I-90 much easier.

Would also be great if they could continue twinning #3 westward through BC to Hope where it joins #1 & #5.

And for Christ sake switch the #1 & #5 designations so the TCH is a freeway already. :

It may have involved a second crossing south of the existing bridge continuing on Springfield Road to Hwy 33 past Big White. Head east past Big White till you hit Arrow Lakes. Then split south to Castlegar and Highway 3, and North to Revelstoke and Highway 1.

[Tvisforme]

Originally Posted by craner

...And for Christ sake switch the #1 & #5 designations so the TCH is a freeway already. :

There was a similar discussion on the Aaroads forum back in 2016; reworking that proposal, I'd suggest the following:

• move the Trans Canada designation to the Coquihalla route between Hope and Kamloops;
• rebrand the existing TCH as Highway 1A and market it as the TCH historical route, since those communities already took a hit from losing traffic to the Coquihalla;
• Highway 5 would follow the existing 5A from Kamloops to Princeton;
• Highway 8 would be extended to Peachland (replacing 97C);
• clean up the names of 97C (Merritt-Ashcroft) and 97D (Logan Lake-new TCH), perhaps as 1B/1C(?)

This gives the TCH the freeway route instead of the slower Fraser Canyon, which would make sense given the work being done to upgrade the TCH further east. Highway 5 loses the direct connection to the Lower Mainland but still retains its role as a connection between all three major east-west routes (1/16/3). If desired, one could even consider renaming the entire route along 8/97C/33 as one highway to emphasize the connection between the Cariboo and Kootenay regions.