Ministry Of Transportation

Major flood hits Kingfisher community

ENDERBY - A road, a bridge, and a community’s link to the nearest city was swept away by a barrage of water and debris Friday. About 300 feet of Mabel Lake Road near the Kingfisher Interpretive Centre is gone. So is the bridge over Cook Creek. In its place is a massive debris field of...

West Kelowna looks for choices in Okanagan Lake second crossing project

KELOWNA - A project that would see a second crossing installed over Okanagan Lake has yet to get the full backing of West Kelowna council. West Kelowna Mayor Doug Findlater says his council doesn’t have the full understanding neccessary to take a firm stand on what the city wants from the Okanagan Lake second crossing...

Federal and provincial governments announce more funding for Highway 1

PRITCHARD – With three kilometres of highway construction completed, the federal and provincial governments have announced $94.4 million in funding to complete the expansion of Highway 1 from Hoffman's Bluff to Chase Creek. The province is contributing $18.3 million, while $76.1 million is coming from Ottawa. The money is paying to widen a 7.5-kilometre section...

Petition calls for improvements on stretch of highway where Clearwater couple died

CLEARWATER - Following multiple crashes along a portion of the Yellowhead Highway, including two that resulted in people having to be airlifted to Royal Inland Hospital last week, locals are asking for more safety measures to be implemented along the highway. Three days ago, Hettie Buck created an online petition to call on the Ministry...

Province changes date for open house on Stickle Road intersection improvements plan

VERNON - There’s a new date for an upcoming open house on proposed changes to the Stickle Road intersection in Vernon. Ministry of Transportation staff will present their second plan for the intersection at Highway 97 after the first was scrapped back in May. The open house was originally set for July 30, right before the long...

Province to review bus industry after two Coquihalla crashes

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - Two major bus crashes in the last year resulted in serious injuries and now the provincial government is moving forward with a safety review on the motor coach industry. Minister of Transportation Todd Stone says the review will include examining safety statistics, analyzing vehicle inspections and vehicle licensing. It will also compare the...

Province’s new Stickle Road proposal fails to impress Vernon officials

VERNON - Better, but not good enough is the message Vernon council sent to the Ministry of Transportation during a presentation about a new idea for improving the Stickle Road intersection. Plans for a right-in, right-out only access to and from Stickle Road on Highway 97 just north of the city were scrapped in May...

Old Western Star plant could soon meet the wrecker’s ball

KELOWNA - The last vestiges of Western Star Trucks, a manufacturing success story in Kelowna, could soon be meeting the wreckers ball. Owner of the site on Enterprise Way, 3752 Investments Ltd., has applied for a permit to raze the former Western Star truck and replace it with a Lowes home improvement store and garden...

Changes coming to Highway 1; Pritchard interchange opens Wednesday

PRITCHARD - After more than a year of construction, the Pritchard interchange is set to open this week. On Wednesday morning, traffic will begin using the new Pritchard interchange, located approximately 40 kilometres east of Kamloops. The new interchange is part of the upgrade of Highway 1 between Kamloops and the Alberta border to four...

Paving project set for Highway 6, Mabel Lake Road

LUMBY – Millions of provincial tax dollars will be spent on paving projects in parts of Lumby this summer. The province announced today close to 75 kilometres of roadway in the area will get repaved. Work is to start sometime in June on Highway 6 and Mabel Lake Road with the $8.9 million project expected...

Vernon council not happy with provincial government over Stickle Road plan

VERNON - Elected representatives refuse to keep quiet about their concerns around a Ministry of Transportation initiative to modify the Stickle Road intersection at Highway 97 in Vernon. Not only does local government disagree with the plan, which would see the intersection changed to right in, right out only (municipalities want a traffic light instead)...

First Nation protests as highway widening moves forward

CHASE - Despite support from First Nation leadership, not all band members are in favour of the second phase of construction the widening of the Trans-Canada Highway near Chase. Robin Billy, chief of the Adams Lake First Nation in Chase, says he’s not aware of how many people are standing in protest of the provincial...

Highway roundabout in Sicamous goes to open house

SICAMOUS - Plans for proposed highway improvements that could see a roundabout installed on Highway 97A in Sicamous will be presented to the public later today. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will present the project, which includes a roundabout at Highway 97A and Main Street, as well as intersection improvements at the highway and...

Province announces major changes to deadly Vernon intersection

VERNON - The Ministry of Transportation has proposed a controversial plan to make the intersection of Stickle Road and Highway 97 in Vernon less dangerous. The $3-million initiative would eliminate risky, left hand turns onto the highway and allow only right hand turns onto Stickle and 97, forcing drivers to take Pleasant Valley Road back...