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Highway 97
Three separate car accidents on Highway 97 south of Vernon
VERNON - Three car accidents on Highway 97 south of Vernon kept emergency crews busy Tuesday morning. The first accident happened at 7:08 a.m. and was followed by a vehicle rollover at 7:36 a.m. Not long after, Vernon Fire and Rescue Services attended a three vehicle accident also on Highway 97 south of Vernon. “It...
New HOV lane rules take effect; RCMP ready to enforce
KELOWNA – If the high-occupancy vehicle lanes in Kelowna rub you the wrong way, they will only be rubbing you the wrong way during the daytime on weekdays as of today, Jan. 19. Instead of 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the HOV lanes are now only in effect between 7 a.m. and...
Barricades planned for deadly stretch of Hwy 97
LAKE COUNTRY – A dangerous stretch of Highway 97 where a woman died following a head on collision Sunday is getting some attention from the Ministry of Transportation. “That incident over the weekend was terrible and our thoughts are with the friends and family of the people affected,” says Ministry spokesperson Murray Tekano. “It’s really...
B.C. Coroners Service identifies woman killed in Highway 97 crash
KELOWNA – The B.C. Coroners Service has identified the woman killed in a crash between a semi and an SUV on Highway 97 north of the Kelowna Airport Sunday afternoon. She was Frances Marie Strocher, 48, of Kelowna. Const. Kris Clark of the Kelowna RCMP says Strocher was driving a Volkswagen Tiguan and was the only...
UPDATE: Crash on Highway 97 claims a life
KELOWNA - The crash between a semi and a SUV on Highway 97 north of the Kelowna Airport Sunday afternoon claimed the life of the driver of the SUV. The highway was closed for three hours after the head-on crash around 2 p.m. 4 kilometres north of Airport Way, according to RCMP, causing a major...
Sneena Road overpass open to traffic
WEST KELOWNA – The Sneena Road overpass, which has slowed traffic on Highway 97 north of the William Bennett Bridge for close to a year, has finally been completed. The overpass is a $9.3 million dollar connection between Westbank First Nation lands on either side of the highway. In an official ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday,...
Crash on Highway 97 in Lake Country sends two to hospital
LAKE COUNTRY – Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in a two vehicle crash on the new section of Highway 97 in Lake Country Monday morning. RCMP Const. Jesse O’Donaghey says just before 7:30 a.m. the driver of a sedan rear-ended a SUV while both were travelling in the southbound slow lane north of Oyama....
Kelowna man crashes and dies near Kamloops
KELOWNA - A Kelowna man was killed when he crashed with a tractor-trailer just south of Duck Range Road near Kamloops Saturday. Jairo Alexis Vicioso David, 34, of Kelowna was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle when the accident happened at roughly 5 p.m. Nov. 28, according to an RCMP media release. David...
Semi carrying massive load of Okanagan Spring beer takes a spill
FALKLAND - A semi carrying some 1,500 cases of Okanagan Spring 1516 beer took a spill during Wednesday’s snowstorm. Garry Higginson, with HTL Transport, says his son, 24, was driving the tractor-trailer along Highway 97 through Falkland in a blizzard when he saw an oncoming vehicle driving in the middle of the road. His son...
Government paves over safety feature because of ‘noise complaints’
OYAMA - The Ministry of Transportation is removing a safety feature on the new highway in Lake Country to spare nearby residents an associated rumbling sound. Rumble strips, the grooved edges found on most highways, were installed on the new $78-million section of Highway 97 through Oyama but it seems the feature had an unpleasant...
Wild horse carcass left by South Okanagan roadside for three days
PENTICTON - Last week, a feral horse was struck and killed by a passing motorists and left on the side of the highway for three days just south of Penticton, according to Global Okanagan. The young animal was discovered in the ditch beside Highway 97 Monday afternoon. It had two broken legs. It was later...
Summerland man hit by semi dies in hospital
SUMMERLAND – A 77-year-old man hit by a semi in downtown Summerland Monday morning has died from his injuries. The Summerland man was hit at the uncontrolled intersection at Highway 97 and Steuart Street and rushed to hospital. According to RCMP, he was crossing the highway on foot when he was hit by a southbound...
Safety measures sought for dangerous stretch of Highway 97
LAKE COUNTRY - In the aftermath of two fatal accidents, officials in Lake Country are calling for the addition of a concrete median between Beaver Lake Road and the Kelowna Airport. In July, an elderly couple and a 14-year-old passenger believed to be their grandson were fatally injured after crossing the centre line and colliding...
Attention drivers: Highway 97 construction set for this month
VERNON - Construction begins Tuesday night on a notoriously dangerous stretch of Highway 97, and that means drivers could see some delays. The Ministry of Transportation is adding $5 million worth of concrete median barriers to separate four lanes of traffic on 11 kilometres of highway between Vernon and Kelowna. The work begins Tuesday night...
UPDATE: Manitoba woman dies in crash on Highway 97; speed may be factor
KELOWNA – A head-on crash on Highway 97 north of the Kelowna Airport claimed the life of a Manitoba woman and closed the route in both directions for almost 5 hours on Saturday. Just before 8:30 a.m., emergency crews arrived on the scene to find a Dodge pick-up on it’s side and engulfed in flames,...