Ski hill calls for improvements on B.C.’s worst road

“WE HAVE A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR RESORT AT THE END OF A CRAPPY DRIVE”

VERNON – A major Vernon tourism engine is calling for improvements on the province’s worst road.

Silver Star Mountain Resort’s operations manager Brad Baker says something has to be done about Silver Star Road, which was nominated as the worst road in a recent BCAA survey.

“It (survey) has certainly brought it to the forefront that it is a safety issue for our guests, residents and our staff,” Baker says. “We have a multi-million dollar resort at the end of a crappy drive.”

He says the stretch of Silver Star Road between Greenway Road and the resort is pocked with potholes and crumbling pavement.

“Silver Star is a large economic engine for the Okanagan and it’s not a pleasant drive. I’m sure it impacts businesses and the economy as a whole,” Baker says.

But perhaps the resort’s biggest concern with the road wasn’t an option on BCAA’s survey. Baker rose concerns over snow removal this past April, insisting better maintenance was required.

“I hope there’s a plan in place when the next snow falls,” he says.

Since the survey started, Ministry of Transportation crews have begun patching potholes and filling cracks, and while Baker notes the efforts are timely, he says they are not enough.

“What they’re doing is just a bandaid solution. They need to completely resurface the road,” Baker says.

The Ministry of Transportation did not return calls on the situation before this article was published.

Other local roads to make BCAA’s top ten list include Cosens Bay Road in Coldstream and Westside Road in Vernon and West Kelowna.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.