Updated
October 15, 2009
Project: Winfield to Oyama Four Laning
Click on map for larger version The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is proposing to upgrade Highway 97 to four lanes between Winfield and Oyama in the District Of Lake Country, B.C. This will remove the last two lane section of Highway 97 between Westbank and Vernon. The new 9 km alignment will be west of the existing highway above Wood Lake.
50% Detailed Design Alignment
Updated
October 15, 2009
Figure 1 Southern End (PDF, 633 KB)
Figure 2 Middle (PDF, 662 KB)
Figure 3 Northern End (PDF, 624 KB)
Benefits of Project:
A new four-lane section of Highway 97 will:
- Increase corridor capacity through this section and address safety concerns
- Address mobility and reliability issues as well as reduce delays and improve travel times
- Increase posted speed through this section from 80 Km/h to 100 Km/h
- Provide controlled access, limiting conflict points along the alignment
Cost and Funding:
- $77.9 M in 2008 dollars
- The provincial and federal governments will be cost sharing on this
project:
- $44.3 M estimated Provincial contribution
- $33.6 M estimated Federal contribution
Road Closures:
See the Drive BC site at www.DriveBC.ca
Project Schedule:
- After property is acquired and the design is complete, construction will begin
- Earliest construction start - anticipated to begin 2010
- Construction is expected to take two and half years
Current Project Status:
- Preliminary Design – completed
- Functional and detailed design – in progress
- estimate 16 months to complete
- Continuing with stakeholder consultations
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Q. What will happen to the old existing highway?
- A. Ministry is in discussion with the District of Lake Country on the future of the existing highway (ie low volume road.) It will continue to be used for access to recreation and local businesses.
- Q. How many vehicles use this section of the highway?
- A. Approximately 22,000 vehicles per day use this section of highway which peaks up to 26,000 vehicles in the summertime.
- Q. Will there be traffic delays during construction?
- A. There will be minimal impact on traffic as majority of new alignment is away from the existing highway.
- Q. Why a new alignment? Why is the existing highway not being upgraded?
- A. The existing lakeshore option has been explored in several studies over several years. This option is not recommended due to environmental risk, recreational access, constructability, traffic management and community impacts.
- Q. What alignment is the Ministry proposing?
- A. Multiple alignment options have been investigated. There were two alignment options for both the north and south ends of the project along with one consistent central alignment presented at the Public Open House:
- A 6 km “original” high line that impacted heavily on the ALR and localbusinesses.
- A 9 km “modified” high line that is higher up the hill above most of the ALR, tying into Evans Rd.
The strongest community support was for option 2 - the “modified” high line which minimizes ALR and local business impacts at both the north and south ends. This is the option the ministry is moving forward on.
Other Information:
- Open House completed in October 2007
- Positive response from public and District of Lake Country council. Strong support from local MLA and MP
- Positive response from public and District of Lake Country council. Strong support from local MLA and MP
- Open House completed in October 2009