Every day, West Kelowna residents and businesses lose valuable time and money sitting in traffic on Highway 97 and the W.R. Bennett Bridge. What should be a short trip often becomes a frustrating commute, affecting our economy, quality of life, and environment.

Congestion creates real costs. Businesses face delays in deliveries, service calls, and employee commutes. Families spend less time together, workers experience added stress, and thousands of vehicles burn unnecessary fuel while sitting in traffic. These delays affect everyone, whether you’re commuting to work, taking children to school, attending appointments, or supporting local businesses.

A second bridge and rapid transit rail may be part of our long-term future, but these projects could take decades and require investment in the hundreds of millions of dollars. We need practical improvements now, while planning responsibly for the future.

Work with the province and local governance to create immediate and cost-efficient solutions that include:

• Optimizing signal timing and traffic technology between Abbott Street and Gordon Drive to improve traffic flow.

• Addressing the Abbott bottleneck by removing left turns ontoAbbott and rerouting pedestrians via the underpass or Pandosy Street.

• Increasing Highway 97 capacity by creating a third eastbound lane between Abbott Street and Pandosy Street.

• Optimize bridge capacity by creating an alternating-direction lane on the W.R. Bennett Bridge, providing additional capacity during peak morning and evening travel.

These proposals require engineering assessments, safety reviews, and collaboration with transportation authorities. They should be evaluated based on cost, feasibility, environmental impacts, and their ability to deliver meaningful improvements.

Traffic on Highway 97 is a regional problem requiring a regional solution. I would advocate for collaboration among the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, local governments, and Westbank First Nation to make improvements to Highway 97 and the W.R. Bennett Bridge a provincial priority.

Better traffic flow means more time with family, stronger businesses, and a more connected community. Let’s work together on practical solutions that address today’s needs while preparing for tomorrow.