Highway 97 Corridor Improvements, Boucherie to Westlake Conceptual Planning Study

2013-2017 | West Kelowna, BC – Highway 97 is the primary North-South roadway through the Okanagan Valley, connecting the communities of Osoyoos, Oliver, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, and Kamloops. The section of Highway between Boucherie Road and Westlake Road was prone to accidents and delays, and in need of significant corridor improvements.

The BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure hired McElhanney to perform a conceptual corridor planning study that focused on the development and evaluation of interchange options at Boucherie Road and Westlake Road. McElhanney provided traffic projections, trip generation and distribution of future land use, developed a calibrated VISSIM corridor model, developed interchange options, and cost estimates, conducted Multiple Accounts Evaluation (MAE) and risk assessment, and prepared preliminary designs and a business case for the preferred option. The project involved open house participation and significant consultation and presentations to the City of West Kelowna and Westbank First Nations.

The chosen concept will reduce congestion while accommodating a growing population, improve safety for both vehicles and pedestrians.