A second crossing connecting Kelowna and West Kelowna is once again emerging as an election issue, with local candidates offering different views on how to address growing traffic congestion on and around the W.A.C Bennett Bridge.
Calls for another bridge have persisted for years, as commuters regularly face delays on the existing crossing on Okanagan Lake.
“I think bridge traffic in the morning can be a bit much,” says Ryan Burley, who uses the bridge regularly.
The issue was highlighted earlier this month again when an accident forced the closure of all three southbound lanes for several hours, creating significant traffic backlogs.
BC NDP candidate for Kelowna Centre, Loyal Wooldridge, recently took a humorous approach to the issue, posting a social media video of himself attempting to cross the lake in a small dinghy.
But while Wooldridge is using humour to draw attention to the problem, he says building a second crossing is a long-term prospect and improving the existing bridge should be the immediate priority.
“There’s actually a plan on the books to improve traffic flow without the time and cost it would take, which would be billions of dollars to build a second crossing,” Wooldridge said.
Asked why improvements have not moved forward despite the BC NDP being in government for nearly a decade, Wooldridge pointed to the need for stronger advocacy locally.
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“My commitment is that I’m going to advocate for Kelowna,” he said. “This is a province-approved plan that needs advocacy locally for both Kelowna, WFN (Westbank First Nation) and West Kelowna to improve traffic flow by increasing capacity at the bridge, also improving the intersections right when you get off the bridge into Kelowna and it’s done by adding another lane to the existing bridge itself.”
During the 2024 provincial election campaign, the BC Conservatives, then led by John Rustad, promised to build a second crossing by 2032 if elected.
That timeline is no longer being reaffirmed under the party’s new leadership.
BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson has not ruled out another crossing but says he wants to hear from British Columbians before making commitments.
“Right now I am all ears. I’m listening to British Columbians, visiting British Columbians, and I absolutely, of course, want to look at everything,” Doerkson said.
Locally, BC Conservative candidate for Kelowna Centre Kristina Loewen maintained the party has not abandoned the idea.
“I don’t feel like we’re backtracking on that promise exactly. I would say that we’re continuing to look at it,” Loewen said. “We haven’t really had the chance and the opportunity in the opposition to look at building a bridge, and we’d like to.”
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Loewen added she wants planning for a second crossing to start.
“We need to start planning for it in a way that works together with the city, works with multiple levels of government and reopens the studies that have been done on it,” Loewen said. “We need to start building the infrastructure, at least in and around the bridge.”
BC Green Party candidate Saoirse MacKinnon was unavailable for comment on the issue Friday.
Read Castanet news to see what kind of sht hole Kelowna is
Political salesmanship. Nothing more…nothing less. And yes old Bridge and old Kelowna would be preferred. Little Alberta has ruined Kelowna!!!
surely the North Shore in Vancouver is more deserving of a new bridge. We face traffic jams like the one in Kelowna every week. Get in line.
I’d be up for my tax dollars funding a 2nd crossing however I found a way to screw the govt. Lake country co-op in sask. sells stuff to BC only charges GST on rifles. Sam,e for electronics for less Canada in Ontario. Only chrges GST so they did not charge me 175.00 in PST so what we are at now is 340. that they did not charge in sales taxes. By my math. We are 660.00 short of our 1000 grocery benefit Eby lied about in the last election. And I will get my 660 plus more
Build another one with 4 lanes of ess curves at both ends so the original will feel like a freeway
The stupid FKers should have kept the far superior floating bridge
Look around the world at the achievements some countries have made in moving people.
The engineering would be enormous but it could be down from the crossing as it is now.
What we lack is the political fortitude to do it. Better to spend money on useless signs and ‘art’ or ripping out trees and gentrifying the urban greenspaces to thwart homeless encampments.
Millions spent on useless recreation lanes that actually stunt traffic flow. The bottlenecks in this town are appalling.
Make the new one a toll bridge….but, no tolls for Firnat…hahaha
Yes there should be! PERIOD!
The NDP have no intention of building a new bridge. They still haven’t done anything about the Massey Tunnel in Richmond that’s been talk about for decades. Again big promises from Eby and the NDP just like they have made in the pass and nothing happens