Controversial improvements to Okanagan Lake accesses are under way.
The City of Vernon is expected to begin upgrades to the road right-of-way on Whitepoint Road today. “We’ve put a lot of work into this issue and we need to show a commitment to public access,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. Whitepoint Road will be the first of four lake access improvements. The other three — Foster Road, Kennedy Lane and Delcliffe Road — will occur next spring. The Whitepoint project, which will take about three weeks to complete, will include an asphalt turnaround, parking, landscaping and picnic tables. “There will also be some general cleanup and extra sand,” said James Rice, the city’s public works manager. There will be no parking at the access site during construction but pedestrian traffic will be allowed to use the beach. Some residents have expressed concerns that the upgrades will lead to traffic and noise problems as well as parties. However, Cunningham says the need of the community to access the lake must be considered. “We’ve looked at the concerns and we need to make these four accesses work because we will want to expand the program (to other sites),” she said. Whitepoint Road isn’t the only public works initiative under way. For the next three weeks, right-turn lanes will be constructed at 27th Street and 43rd Avenue. “It should help with traffic flows on 27th Street,” said Rice. Motorists are urged to be aware of the $25,000 project while driving through the area. “The biggest inconvenience will be no right-hand turns southbound on 27th Street until the project is done,” said Rice
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