The upgrade includes the rebuilding of four kilometre lanes of roads, two kilometres of new sidewalks, one kilometre of a dedicated bike lane, and five intersection improvements.听
Other road improvement undertakings include continued improvement of Boucherie Road, sometimes known as the 鈥榃ine Trail鈥, with new sidewalks, multi-use pathways and landscaping features. And construction of new sidewalks, along busy streets such as Anders Road and Shannon Lake Road, rate a high priority.听
The plan also anticipates a total of about 30 km of new bike paths and bike lanes, designed to make it easy and more pleasant for residents to get around the city of 40,000 people without having to drive their car.听
鈥淭he transportation master plan will reflect the needs and priorities of the West Kelowna community, while providing a clear, actionable roadmap for future transportation investment and development,鈥 the report to council states.听
It鈥檚 suggested that the transportation-related initiatives will be undertaken between now and 2040, pending specific annual decisions by city council on the timing and expense of various projects.听
A years-long discussion in West Kelowna has revolved around what to do with Main Street, which is part of the Highway 97 route through the Westbank business district. Since the creation of the couplet system in the 鈥80s, the speed and volume of traffic have generally inhibited the development of a more pleasing urban landscape and pedestrian environment.听
Some of the buildings are 80 years old, other premises are vacant, and there are a number of empty lots.听
Car-oriented businesses such as gas stations and automotive repair shops proliferate, and the relatively compact area has several strip malls with big parking lots.听
Over the years, the city has considered buying enough land to construct a new highway bypass around Westbank, but a study put the cost into the tens of millions of dollars. In 2017, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure even proposed lowering highway traffic through Westbank into a trench, to create a more pleasing streetscape.
鈥淧lace Highway 97 in a trench on Dobbin Road with crossings at Hebert, Elliott and Brown Roads,鈥 the report suggested, but nothing came of the idea.听
West Kelowna council has also considered offering millions of dollars in tax breaks and municipal fee reductions to spur new development in Westbank. Some new residential and multi-use projects have been built in recent years, particularly along streets further back from the highway corridor.听
Much new development on the Westside in the past 15 years has taken place on Westbank First Nation land, though these projects have also tended to be car-centric in the form of strip malls, big box stores, and large parking lots.听
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