After announcing plans to install a protected turn lane for the dangerous intersection of Highway 97 and 3A in Kaleden, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) is also going to conduct a safety review this summer of the whole corridor.
Ministry staff will be doing a traffic analysis of Highway 97 in the Kaleden area (north of the 3A junction) in the summer to collect data on volumes and movements during peak traffic, said MOTI in an email.
The ministry will also review the crash history for the area.
The information collected through this analysis will be used to generate options for future safety improvements to Highway 97 in the Kaleden area. Work to determine possible options is expected to happen this fall.
This is in addition to the MOTI’s announcement last week that a protected turning lane will go in at the intersection of Highway 97 and 3A in Kaleden. The protected turning lane will allow vehicles to make a left from 3A into the protected lane on Highway 97 heading north towards Penticton.
READ MORE: Protected turn lane coming to dangerous Hwy. 97 intersection
Currently the uncontrolled intersection is almost a blind turn onto Highway 97 having to navigate two lanes of traffic heading south on highway 97 and one lane heading north.
MOTI decided action was needed at the intersection after an increased amount of traffic following the atmospheric river event that closed all highways except for Highway 3.
Subrina Monteith, Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen director for Kaleden, has been pushing for safety improvements for that corridor for a long time.
Monteith, along with Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell had recent meetings with the ministry staff about the dangerous intersection.
“The footprint of the intersection won’t change but there will be a change of flow of traffic with a protected turning lane,” said Monteith.
Some had wanted a traffic light at the intersection. But getting MOTI to do any safety changes to the area is a win, said Monteith.
She worries about the ministry looking at the crash numbers for the area.
“That doesn’t paint the whole picture. The problem is when looking at this corridor they are counting the crashes but if they counted the near misses, it would be off the charts,” said Monteith. “You can actually watch the near misses on the DriveBC cams.”
READ MORE: Changes needed at dangerous intersection says 4,000 signature petition
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