Governments Celebrate Improvements to Highway 97

News Release

Highway 97 now four lanes from Penticton to Greata Ranch

Summerland, British Columbia, September 7, 2010 – The completion of the Highway 97 Bentley Road to Okanagan Lake Park project was celebrated today by Stockwell Day, President of the Treasury Board of Canada and Minister of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and MP Okanagan-Coquihalla, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Shirley Bond, Penticton MLA Bill Barisoff and other community leaders.

The new four-lane portion of Highway 97 from Bentley Road to Okanagan Lake Park creates a 35-km stretch of continuous four-lane highway from Penticton to Greata Ranch, just south of Peachland.

“This investment in upgrades to Highway 97 builds on the Government of Canada’s commitment to improve highway safety across Canada,” said Minister Day. “This work will make life better for commuters and residents in the Okanagan Valley and is just one of the partnership investments our governments are making through the Provincial-Territorial Base Fund.”

“We’re improving Highway 97 right through the Okanagan Valley to meet the needs of one of the fastest growing regions of the province,” said Bond. “By upgrading this stretch of Highway 97 to four lanes, we’ve created a safer route for residents, visitors and for commercial traffic in the Okanagan. I want to say a very special thank you to everyone who worked so hard to complete this significant project. Without the skill and expertise of hundreds of workers this project would not have been possible.”

The initiative involved widening a seven-kilometre stretch of Highway 97 to four lanes and constructing three kilometres of frontage roads to consolidate local accesses. In addition to improved mobility and reduced congestion, motorists will also benefit from safety improvements, including wider paved shoulders, rumble strips and roadside barriers.

Construction crews were faced with a significant challenge in October 2008 when a large fissure was discovered on a rock slope above the highway just north of Summerland. The highway was closed for 19 days while the site was stabilized. Approximately 55,000 cubic metres of rock had to be blasted from the site.

“This initiative greatly improves the safety of an important stretch of highway,” said MLA Barisoff. “It was a challenging initiative and I thank the workers for a tremendous job, and the travelling public and residents of the South Okanagan for their patience.”

The Province partnered with the Government of Canada to fund the Highway 97 Bentley Road to Okanagan Lake Park initiative. Since 2001, over $900 million has been invested in upgrading roads, highways, bridges and transit in the Okanagan Valley.

A total of 17 major projects have been completed in the Okanagan Valley since 2001 and a further 21 projects are underway, with expected completion by the end of 2012.

Contacts:

John Babcock
Office of the Honourable Chuck Strahl
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
613-991-0700

Dave Crebo
Public Affairs Bureau
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
250-387-7787

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