Highway 97
UPDATE: Legion president injured in Highway 97 crash
KELOWNA – A car crash on Highway 97 near Old Vernon Road in Kelowna this morning seriously injured three people, including two members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Branch 26 president Syd Pratt and member Frank Truman were on their way to a Flag Day event at the Lakeview Memorial Cemetery, Lynda Wachter the Legion's manager...
Median barriers will be installed on dangerous stretch of Highway 97
KELOWNA – A stretch of Hwy 97, notorious for crashes caused when a driver crosses the centre line, will receive nine kilometers of concrete median barriers this summer. The announcement was made Friday, May 8 with plans for phase one to begin this month. The $2.5-million project will start with work between University Way and...
Paving work will impact traffic on Highway 97
VERNON - There will be delays on Highway 97 over the next month as repaving work gets underway. The project is for roughly 30 km of highway resurfacing between Old Vernon Road and Bailey Road. A five kilometer section on Highway 33 from Beaverdell Dump Road to Beaverdell will also be included The $3.8 million...
‘All of a sudden, a friggin’ moose comes out of nowhere and lands on the front of the truck’
KELOWNA - Doug Adams remembers the moose slamming into the hood, then sliding up the windshield, six inches from his face. The impact brought the one-ton diesel truck to an instant standstill. Adams, 56, of Vernon, was the passenger in a truck that collided with an estimated 800 pound moose last Friday, May 1, in...
Child escapes Vernon car crash with minor injuries
VERNON - Two people, one of them a nine-year-old, escaped with minor injuries after their car flipped onto its roof Monday. The accident happened just after 3 p.m. Monday, May 4, at Highway 97 and College Way in Vernon, RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk said in a release. “The investigation determined the vehicle had been travelling...
Driver gets ticket for nasty crash; highway traffic brought to standstill south of Vernon
VERNON - There were multiple injuries in a Sunday afternoon car accident on Highway 97 south of Vernon, which halted traffic for over two hours, but fortunately no fatalities. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says the crash at Bailey Road and Highway 97, which had northbound traffic backed up almost to Oyama, was caused by an...
UPDATE: Highway reopens after crash near Vernon
UPDATE: 7:14 P.M., MAY 3, 2015 The highway has reopened. Drive B.C. notes to expect delays. VERNON - A crash is causing major delays on Highway 97 just south of Vernon Sunday afternoon. According to Drive B.C., the highway is closed in both directions 10 kilometres south of Vernon. There is currently no estimated time...
Province announces major changes to deadly Vernon intersection
VERNON - The Ministry of Transportation has proposed a controversial plan to make the intersection of Stickle Road and Highway 97 in Vernon less dangerous. The $3-million initiative would eliminate risky, left hand turns onto the highway and allow only right hand turns onto Stickle and 97, forcing drivers to take Pleasant Valley Road back...
Province revealing proposed upgrade for dangerous Vernon intersection
VERNON - Members of the public can get more information about proposed changes to a well-used road off Highway 97 on the Swan Lake auto mile tonight. Full details about the Ministry of Transportation’s plan for Stickle Road where it meets Highway 97 have so far been scarce, but government officials intend to unveil the...
Coroner releases findings into fatal Easter crash near Vernon
VERNON - A driver who crossed into the wrong lane on Highway 97 two years ago made no attempt to avoid hitting an oncoming vehicle, a coroner’s report into the deaths of three people has found. In her report, Margaret Janzen of the B.C. Coroners Service describes the 2013 Easter Sunday collision that killed Eric...
Speed traps make law breakers see double over the weekend
VERNON - RCMP used a cunning technique to nab speeders along Highway 97 south of Vernon over the weekend. Officers with the traffic section set up two separate speed operations within five kilometres of each other on the highway between Vernon and Winfield on March 14 and 15. Drivers who thought they'd put the pedal...
Speed trap season opens in the Central Okanagan
CENTRAL OKANAGAN - It's getting nice outside and with more drivers leaving their dens for the open road RCMP traffic enforcement operations are ramping up to catch those who drive faster than the posted speed limits. A few hours were spent on the new section of Highway 97 between Oyama and Winfield Sunday afternoon, March...
UPDATE: Three injured, one seriously, in Vernon head-on crash
VERNON – A three vehicle crash on Highway 97 just north of Vernon sent three people to hospital and closed the route in both directions for about three hours Friday afternoon. The crash happened around 1 p.m., Friday, Feb. 20 at the intersection of Highway 97 and Old Kamloops Road. Two cars and a semi...
UPDATE: Highway 97 A between Grindrod and Sicamous reopens with delays
GRINDROD - Highway 97A is back open following a mud slide Sunday night, but travellers can still expect delays Tuesday. The road will be open to single lane alternating traffic Tuesday, Feb. 17 while crews conduct maintenance work. The work is being conducted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. according to Drive B.C. and travellers...
Get ready for new Kelowna HOV lane rules
KELOWNA - There are some new rules to follow if you're driving Highway 97 through Kelowna, starting January 19. The High Occupancy Vehicle lanes will transition to time-of-day operations. From 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Friday excluding holidays, the HOV lanes must be observed. At all other times, the lanes will be available...