Hwy 97 Westbank Bypass

[Wave101]

I figured that while the topic of Westside interchange is fresh in everyone's mind I thought it would be interesting to bring up the topic of a possible Westbank bypass. With the improvements to the Westside interchange to allow free flowing traffic along Hwy 97 at Westside Rd, and in the future Boucherie Rd, it is clear that the government is aiming to make Hwy 97 a main artery of free flowing traffic though West Kelowna. Future improvements to allow the free flow of traffic are pretty easy to design and implement along much of Hwy 97 in West Kelowna. The problems start when it comes to designing free flowing traffic areas through "downtown" Westbank and the new commercial area on WFN land. This area was just not designed with the idea that in the future the area would be free flowing. A bypass must be found to allow traffic easy access around downtown and shopping areas. Governments should be talking and planning this now before it is too late.

My proposed route is approximately 4 km long and circumvents downtown and the WFN shopping areas by going north through mostly farm and WFN land. One area close to Reese Rd. would require purchasing the land of about 25 homes worth approximately 13 million dollars. Not ideal by any stretch, but neither is a bypass scrapped into the side of West Kelowna hills like the connector.

Anyone else with ideas?

[Frisk]

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[sulchie]

What is the red line underneath mean? I'm pretty sure all these people who have worked so hard their whole lives to get there houses are going to have a hard time giving them up. Also pretty sure that your route is on ALR land for some of it.

[Antilles]

Not to mention it goes straight up a hill and is a pretty significant alteration to the flow of the highway.

[Joe Public]

Sorry, but this won't even get off the ground. Here's why....

There are too many rich developers, who contribute too much money to political parties, who own the strip malls along the "abandoned" route, to ever allow their source of income "traffic" to be rerouted away from their businesses. These are the corporations who own the land, not the small business owners who lease the stores.

Your proposed route, or any other alternate route for that matter, would go through established residential areas, whose owners would not appreciate tens of thousands of vehicles per day. They will fight for their lifestyle.

WFN, has spent multi millions on commercial real estate development and they won't allow their customers to be rerouted for the same reasons as the developers.

The MOTI already has all of the land acquired for now, and in the future, for highway and overpass construction along the existing Rte 97 corridor. That means that West Kelowna tax payers would have to pay the entire bill for land acquisition and highway construction.

West Kelowna has virtually no existing tax base, with most of the visible development belonging to WFN. They need to resurrect the downtown core, and keep the vehicular traffic intact to feed it, in order to develop a town center and the associated tax base.

It all comes down to money, and we don't have enough.

I do believe that someone needs to present a vision of a redesigned Rte 97 through town, in order to recreate and rejuvenate the downtown core and commercial tax base. Put your efforts into that vision, which is realistic.

[phenray]

Why would you bypass a ghost town.

[John500]

Never going to happen. Local businesses that run city councils thru their elected puppets will make sure that its better to stiffle traffic then to go for a bypass. All cities in the valley have the highwyas go thru the center of towns.

[Mike6921]

They could simply 4 lane Dobbin (while expropriating one side of the road to make room), block all side accesses between Dobbin & Main (build new buildings in the existing intersections to generate more tax revenues) and recreate a nice downtown and local road on Main. Connect to the highway at each end, remove the damn traffic lights that's it.

[GordonH]

Something does need to be done:

By-pass will not fly, what I would suggest in 4 lane Dobbin(northbound) side of Hwy 97. Leave southbound as main street Westbank.

As mentioned in other thread Hwy 97 from Swan lake turn-off to US border was poorly thought out from the get go, far to many traffic lights (not enough over & under passes used) etc… etc.

[Urbane]

They could simply 4 lane Dobbin (while expropriating one side of the road to make room), block all side accesses between Dobbin & Main (build new buildings in the existing intersections to generate more tax revenues) and recreate a nice downtown and local road on Main. Connect to the highway at each end, remove the damn traffic lights that's it.

I believe the 4-laning of Dobbin is part of the master plan that we saw at an open house a couple of years ago. If the couplet is ever to disappear the 4-laning of Dobbin is the most viable option. In the meantime, is it really so bad the way it is? In the whole scheme of things I think not.

[Mike6921]

If the lights were sync to start with it would help. Driving from Lake Country to Westbank is a nightmare with all the red lights. Costs a fortune in lost time and fuel having to stop at every. single. intersection.

[GordonH]

If the lights were sync to start with it would help. Driving from Lake Country to Westbank is a nightmare with all the red lights. Costs a fortune in lost time and fuel having to stop at every. single. intersection.

Yep, some of the lights on the Kelowna side could have been overpasses & most of the lights from bridge to the connector could have been underpasses.

[dogspoiler]

Never going to happen. Local businesses that run city councils thru their elected puppets will make sure that its better to stiffle traffic then to go for a bypass. All cities in the valley have the highwyas go thru the center of towns.

Have you driven 97 through Peachland , Summerland, Penticton ?

[Symbonite]

I think this would be too costly because of all the land they will have to purchase AND ALR....

[Glacier]

I believe the 4-laning of Dobbin is part of the master plan that we saw at an open house a couple of years ago. If the couplet is ever to disappear the 4-laning of Dobbin is the most viable option. In the meantime, is it really so bad the way it is? In the whole scheme of things I think not.

The way it is now is better than 4-laning one side because the lights are timed so you usually only hit 1 light through town. You cannot time lights like that with two-way traffic.