Drive for Peachland highway bypass now fueled by $70,000 transportation study

Posted: Sunday, June 1, 2014 11:06 am Ron Seymour The Daily Courier - Kelowna
Advocates of a highway bypass around Peachland hope for another big turnout when the group holds its annual general meeting June 12. “Last year, we were somewhat astounded when more than 60 people showed up,” Bruce Letendre, president of the Highway 97 Task Force, said Sunday.
“That definitely shows the interest there is in Peachland for a bypass around the town, rather than eventually widening the existing highway,” Letendre said. Those who attend the AGM will hear some particularly good news, Letendre says. “Just six weeks ago, we received official confirmation the the Ministry of Transportation has provided $70,000 to study the bypass option,” he said. Bypass advocates have been campaigning for close to a decade for a bypass around Peachland, but this is the first time the government has put money toward such a study. “I've been around a lot of political campaigns over the years, and I know a government will revisit an issue if there's a body that squeaks loud and long enough,” Letendre said. “Maybe we've just squeaked enough.” Peachland has the only two-lane stretch of Highway 97 from north of Vernon to south of Penticton. In recent years, new traffic lights have been installed along the corridor, raising concerns that rising traffic volumes are building pressure for four-laning of the highway. Opponents say widening the highway would increase the divide between lakeside and hillside neighborhoods, lead to more car-oriented commercial enterprises like those up the hill in nearby Westbank, and undermine Peachland's scenic and tourist charms. Bypass advocates have proposed a 17-kilometre long route, most of which could be built on Crown land west of the town. “It would be longer than the existing highway, but not that much longer, and travel could travel faster,” says John Abernathy, president of another Peachland group that's pushing for a bypass.
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Population: 2011 Census, 5,200
Peachland area in hectares: 1,575
Peachland elevation: 1,125 (343 m)