Busy West Kelowna roads need upgrades
The busiest street in West Kelowna is in the most urgent need of improvements, city council will hear tomorrow.
A revised transportation plan recommends upgrades to the south end of Boucherie Road get top priority over the next 20 years.
The assessment of urgency was based on such things as traffic volumes, accident rates, pavement condition, and use by pedestrians and cyclists.
Second priority goes to a stretch of Gellatly Road, linking Westbank to the West Kelowna waterfront, between Highway 97 and Boucherie Road.
That segment includes a recommended roundabout at Gellatly and Carrington Road.
Shannon Lake Road, between Asquith Road and the boundary with Westbank First Nation lands, should be given third priority, council will hear.
Currently, the most hazardous road in West Kelowna is a segment of Old Okanagan Highway, between Butt Road and Reece Road.
There are many homes that front onto the street, and collisions between those drivers pulling out of their driveways and cross-traffic traffic on Old Okanagan Highway are common.
Between 2012 and 2016, there were 31 accidents here, with 21 people injured, and collision claims totalling $1.1 million.
That was more than double the next highest level of collision claims, on Boucherie Road between Ogden Road and Green Bay Road.
Despite its high accident rate, Old Okanagan Highway is listed as having seventh highest priority for improvement based on the matrix that was used to assess urgency.
That's in part because other roads nearer fast-developing neighbourhoods are expected to have more traffic in the future.