(Tekano pictured right – John Slater and Dan Albas at left)

Murray Tekano, regional manger of the Highways Department spoke at length to regional directors today at an RDOS meeting in Penticton. Highlights:

He was asked to speak on trip generation figures if and when the new prison is built near Oliver, safety concerns in Okanagan Falls and Eastside Rd between Penticton and OK Falls.

Tekano says the Ministry spends its money on Safety, Passing lanes and Improvements to road surfaces.

1. Highway improvements near Senkulmen Business Park were paid for by the OIB and will serve the needs of the park and the prison for 5-10 years and traffic flow will be assesed after all the engineering is done for the prison.

2. The Highways ministry hopes to make road improvements to (Skaha) Eastside Road including blasting rock in the spring of 2013. Planned widening of a 1.5-kilometre portion of Eastside Road along Skaha Lake.Plans call for adding fill to expand the road shoulder along a 1 km of lakeshore.

The rough surface of White Lake/Fairview connector road should be complete in that same time period next year.

3. Road traffic has reached a plateau in the last 10 years on Hwy 97 with an 12% increase in the summer. The next improvement will be the passing lanes at McIntrye Bluff.

RDOS directors wanted to make their points to the Highways Department and stated what they desired:

Better signal light system in OK Falls’s main intersection, improved and safer turning at bridge and Green Lake Rd, some plan to straighten road at Vaseux Lake corner and improvements to rural roads due to the amount of sports biking in the warm seasons.