Proposed bypass divisive issue

Posted: Friday, March 27, 2015 9:51 pm | Updated: 9:57 pm, Fri Mar 27, 2015. Dorothy Brotherton Penticton Herald
A highway that would bypass Peachland does not sound like a good idea to Chief Robert Louie of the Westbank First Nation. He offered his initial assessment at a joint meeting of the WFN and Peachland councils recently. The difficulty with a bypass is the steep and rocky terrain, and the only possible solution would be right through the Ponderosa development. I just don’t think it’s feasible,” he said, referring to Ponderosa Pincushion Ridge, where 61.5 hectares of the 162-hectare project are owned by the WFN. e admitted the WFN council has not fully discussed the bypass concept and these ideas were his own, not an official council position. If I were a business owner in Peachland, I certainly would not want the traffic to circumvent me,” he added. e pointed out a bypass may not be feasible or even reasonable. Costs would be astronomical,” he said. Peachland Coun. Mario Vucinovic said that in a recent meeting of a Highway 97 group in Peachland, he asked how many favour a bypass and all hands went up. “Four-laning Highway 97 would split the community even more,” Vucinovic said. He pointed out the province has committed to upgrades of Westside Road and to a study for a second crossing of Okanagan Lake, so this may be the time to ramp up discussions on a bypass route. We want people to look at Peachland as more of a destination point, not a thoroughfare,” he added. Louie explained that the Ponderosa developer, Treegroup, has already invested a lot of money in the intersection at Thirteenth Street, on the Highway 97 corridor. Coun. Terry Condon pointed out the Highway 97 task force has engineers who have presented a path above Peachland that would miss the Ponderosa development, which meets the grade and turn radius requirements, from approximately Greata Ranch to the Okanagan Connector at Trepanier Road. Versions of the idea have been looked at for at least 10 years, he said. “It’s going to be enormously expensive, but without a decision, development along that corridor is absolutely stalled,” said Condon, referring to Highway 97 through Peachland. He suggested the Highway 97 society, with more than 700 members, is looking for the right kind of economic study and hopes it may come out of the second crossing study. By looking at strategic needs of the whole corridor from Osoyoos to Salmon Arm, “we might take a different view,” Condon added. From an economic viewpoint, Peachland is already pretty much bypassed, with most commerce in West Kelowna and on WFN land, he said. “We need to be able to develop our area near the water with motels and attractions for travellers to come there,” and waiting until 2025 when the province says a second crossing might be built is not appealing. Louie appeared surprised by the possibility of a bypass route above Ponderosa and more open to the idea. Condon added, “It would provide another exit in case of wildfire and would not dissect Ponderosa.” WFN Coun. Raf De Guevara said the province has promised consultation with the WFN all along the way through the Ministry of Transportation. No route for a second crossing or alternative transportation corridor to Highway 97 has been identified yet. Louie admitted that frustrates the WFN as much as it does Peachland.