Premier comes out in support of Stickle Road plan

by Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star posted Jul 13, 2016 at 12:00 PM

B.C.’s premier is defending the process at a dangerous local intersection. Many residents insist the Ministry of Transportation has ignored their calls for a traffic signal at Highway 97 and Stickle Road. “Some times people mean they didn’t get the answer they wanted,” said Christy Clark while on a Vernon stop Wednesday. The ministry is planning a ban on left-turns from Stickle Road on to the highway and a one-way extension of 20th Street into Vernon on the east side of Stickle Road. “The ministry has come to a good compromise,” said Clark. Eric Foster, Vernon-Monashee MLA, is adamant the public has not been ignored. “The ministry held several public meetings,” he said. “The original plan was scrapped the ministry reached an agreement with the business association.” The Swan Lake Business Corridor Association recently indicated it would accept the ministry’s plans and drop demands for a traffic signal. If the ministry’s current design moves ahead, it could take two years for the $9.5 million project to be constructed, with work starting as early as this fall.