Another round of open houses is underway to ease the congestion on vehicles along Highway 97.

One proposed plan that is receiving a lot of attention is the construction of a new bridge over Lake Okanagan.

While much of the land on the west Kelowna side of the bridge is vacant, choosing a landing point on the Kelowna side will require some careful consideration.

The government narrowed down the list of where the new bridge should be:

Option 1

Connection near poplar point

• Crosses Knox Mountain Drive and connects to Gordon Drive via a transportation hub

• Adopts a new bridge that lands south of Poplar Point and continues at the base of Knox Mountain

• Has noise and / or visual impact on the North End neighborhood and Poplar Point Road

• Additional structure may be required to address slope stability issues along the base of Knox Mountain

Option 2a

Compound near Manhattan Point Through Mill

• Turns on Richter Street and Gordon Drive

• May have noise and / or visual impact on the North End neighborhood

• Requires the mill to be closed

• Has some impact on commercial / industrial and residential real estate along Ellis Street

Option 2b

Connection near Manhattan Point to Bay Avenue

• Cross Ellis Street with no connections

• Has turns on Richter Street and Gordon Drive

• May have noise and / or visual impact on the North End neighborhood

• Impairs mill operation

• Has some impact on commercial / industrial and residential real estate along Ellis Street. • Requires residential property purchase at Manhattan Point

Option 2c

Connection near Manhattan Point to Manhattan Drive

• Cross Ellis Street with no connections

• Has turns on Richter Street and Gordon Drive

• May have noise and / or visual impact on the North End neighborhood

• Avoids effects on the mill operation

• Has residential real estate impact on the Manhattan Point neighborhood

• Has some impact on commercial property along Recreation Avenue

A second bridge crossing is just a transportation option to solve the city’s ongoing traffic problems.

According to the Department, the current William R. Bennett Bridge will not reach its loading capacity until 2040.

You can read the full report by clicking here.

The next Open House is on Thursday March 30th in West Kelowna at the West Bank Lions Community Center.

Let us know what you think about the options. Leave your comment below!

Support local journalism by clicking here to make a one-time contribution or by signing up for a small monthly fee. We thank you for your consideration and every contribution you can make.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR