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It could be as soon as a couple of months before Okanagan residents see plans come together for a second bridge crossing from Kelowna to West Kelowna.
In the recently announced 10- year transporation plan the province said it was moving forward with the public engagement process for the project. According to Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd, that process is set to begin right away.
“We will be going out to identify a third party contractor to lead this engagement and it will focus on a number of key questions,” said Stone in an interview. “First and foremost we really want to define the need for a second crossing. Secondly we want to look at a number of different alignment options, the community and folks most impacted by another crossing need to be leaned on during this process.”
The W.R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
Thirdly Stone says the public engagement process will look at the impacts on the local roads and the highways that will be connected at either end of the new bridge. They will be looking closely at Highway 97 from Kelowna to Peachland, and consider the idea of a Peachland bypass to help alleviate traffic issues.
Currently the province has not identified any specific areas for the new crossing and wants to enter the engagement process with a clean slate, and open to all ideas. Stone hopes to have the finalized details for the engagement process completed and a contractor selected by the spring. He wants to have the process initiated within the next few months and the ball rolling on the project. Although it should be noted that the engagement process is expected to take quite a bit of time to complete. No budget has been identified for the project as it is too early to predict such matters.
“Once we identify phase one of the project, we will move into phase two and select a design,” explains Stone. “We then move into the technical and engineering of the project, what is required to make the alignment work and make it safe. There is an extensive environmental assessment that needs to be done that can take up to a year to complete and then you move to phase three. Then you have to put a price tag on it, and then determine how it will be paid for.”
The W.R. Bennett Bridge in Kelowna (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)
There are several options that the government will look at to pay for the new crossing including through a public/private partnership like what took place for the W.R. Bennett Bridge. Or it could be funded through tax dollars.
“It will forever change the valley, hopefully forever and you don’t want to rush that,” states Stone. “We really want to hear from residents, First Nations, and businesses.”
At the rate that the Okanagan Valley is growing the plan for a second crossing needs to happen sooner than later. Stone says they want to be better prepared for the coming growth, unlike what happened with the previous bridge in Kelowna.
“We want to make sure that we are ready much earlier this time around,” adds Stone.
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