Some very, very disappointing results in that study, but not surprising.
Short story, we are not going to see a limited access highway 97 between Peachland and Vernon in our life times, if ever.
Instead we will get short segments of freeways interrupted by urban cores.
In West Kelowna there is a plan to be grade separated between Daimer Drive (interchange) to the current Westside Interchange. Between Grizzly Road and Gosset Rd. doesn't seem to be directly addressed.
Now here is the joke, long term plan for downtown Westbank is to keep the highway at grade along Dobbin Road! Yes, you read that right, an arterial road sandwiched between two expressway sections. All alternate route scenerios have been dropped and wont be studied further...
Oh, and no mention of a tunnel option.
No joke, this is only plan being considered:
joke1 by
Ian, on Flickr
Next is Peachland, and yep, only minor improvements. No alternate route, no four lane expansion for at least 20 years...
After that, through Kelowna, expect no new expressway route, no new second crossing, just a sixth lane added to the existing bridge.... or even cheaper... a counter flow system! Oh god... oh, and unlike before where they said they may make express lanes along the existing corridor in the absence of not continuing the new expressway and bridge option, well, that's also been dropped. Enjoy your traffic nightmare forever!
From there, from the University to the Jammery we will get grade separated free flow again, but done in stages, so don't worry, time wasting money wasting traffic lights will be added first, before full interchanges that we know will likely never happen (seeing how all the expressway plans on paper for decades have now disappeared).
Through Winfield itself north of Commonwealth to Oceola Road is another spot lacking in any real information / plan.
From there, it looks like the 97 could become grade separated standards to Vernon... maybe, apparently doing so would be bad for inclusivity....... now we know who is doing these studies...
whatagain by
Ian, on Flickr
Somehow adding interchanges and frontage roads in this largely rural stretch along a mountains side is "bad" for affordability, livability and "inclusivity" ... like, how? How is that any worse than a four lane expressway with at grade traffic lights? I would think having local frontage roads would be better for those living in the areas? No????? And not needing to cross a dangerous four lane divided (by median barrier) expressway with people traveling over 100km/h for every trip???
So, there it is, a bizarre hodgepodge of grade separated expressway, two lane arterial, and everything in between!
This is funny though, for some reason some interchanges get double green checkmarks for "inclusivity," livability and affordability, and others in very similar built environments of light industrial get a big old red X??????
What. by
Ian, on Flickr
Joke2 by
Ian, on Flickr
In the end, what a joke.
But I guess bus que jumping lanes and some bike lanes will solve all of the 97's traffic problems! Enjoy your traffic nightmare forever! All eggs in one terribly designed basket!
It's equally funny that at the same time the current study for Kamloops' transportation improvements are almost entirely freeway / interchange upgrade considerations for the #1 and #5.
But, whatever, at this point the people of the Okanagan will only have themselves to blame for having hodgepodge highway and transit infrastructure that will be hindering each other forever sharing a single congested corridor with no real cohesive plan. The current Kelowna city council themselves are against a second crossing and are the ones who nixed the Clement expressway plan (which woulld have freed up Harvey to be majorly downgraded to a more local road with a real robust transit backbone).
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