Highway 97 saw closures and delays during the Drought Hill wildfire, and officials are calling for another route through the region in case of similar emergencies.

This isn’t the only closure of Highway 97 that left people without a way to get through the Okanagan. Other fires, the bomb threat on the William R. Bennett bridge in the winter and the Summerland rockslide in 2023 blocked the highway so people turned to the poorly maintained alternatives.

Penticton mayor Julius Bloomfield put out a statement calling for the 201 Forest Service Road to be improved so it can be a good alternative route between Penticton and Kelowna.

“The Drought Hill wildfire and the closure of Highway 97 has once again exposed the vulnerability of our region’s transportation network. This isn’t a one-off – it’s a pattern. We need a reliable, safe alternative route between Penticton and Kelowna, and the 201 Forest Service Road is part of that solution,” Bloomfield said in a written statement.

The Penticton Chamber of Commerce joined in with a letter to the Minister of Transportation Mike Farnworth about the need for a second route. The chamber said the fact that so many provincial investments have focused on Kelowna so it’s essential for people in the surrounding areas to be able to travel there, especially in emergencies.

“Looking at the past decade, Highway 97 has been repeatedly closed due to landslides, wildfires, rockslides, and accidents. Meanwhile, provincial investments in health care, post-secondary education, and transportation infrastructure have increasingly centralized critical services in Kelowna, making access to that city more essential than ever for residents, businesses, and emergency services across the South Okanagan,” the letter read.

West Kelowna-Peachland opposition MLA Macklin McCall said alternative routes for people in the Okanagan is a serious safety concern.

“The Drought Hill wildfire forced the closure of Highways 97 and 97C, once again exposing how vulnerable the Okanagan is without a safe, accessible alternate route. Earlier this year, during the bridge bomb threat, families trying to use the Trout Main Forest Service Road as a detour to Penticton became stranded and had to be rescued. Without immediate action to improve and pave this road, we’re putting public safety at risk every time there’s a crisis,” McCall said in a written statement.

Numerous BC Conservatives were calling for highway improvements and alternate routes when a man threatened to blow up the William R. Bennett bridge and blocked it with a van in the winter.

The only major highway improvement on Highway 97 is the recently announced $23 million investment to secure the Summerland rockslide site.