A $36-million contract has been awarded to Emil Anderson Construction Inc. for the second phase of six-laning on Highway 97 through Kelowna, increasing capacity and making travel safer along this busy corridor.

“Kelowna and the surrounding communities continue to grow in population, which is why it’s vital to invest in transportation infrastructure to meet increasing demand,” said Premier Christy Clark, MLA for Westside-Kelowna. “With this announcement, the project is taking a major step toward completion.”

“Our design team has been working hard for the past two-and-a-half years to produce a design that meets the needs of the community,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone. “We appreciate all the feedback that was received through our public consultation process, and we thank the community for their patience while this important work was being done.”

The expansion and upgrade of over four kilometres of Highway 97 from Highway 33 to Edwards Road will improve safety and efficiency for all users of the highway and better connect Kelowna’s downtown core with surrounding areas. Initial construction on this $60-million project began last year with the realignment of Finns Road, which was completed in December 2015.

“The modifications along with other adjustments to the design were necessary to ensure these improvements best meet the needs of the community,” said Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson. “We appreciate everyone’s feedback – particularly the City of Kelowna – regarding the widening of this section of highway. These improvements will increase capacity and make travel safer.”

“These long-awaited upgrades to Highway 97 will benefit all of Kelowna. From students heading to and from UBCO, transit users, cyclists and residents of Quail Ridge, Rutland, Glenmore, Ellison and Lake Country, these improvements will provide much needed capacity and improve traffic flow,” said Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick. “As local MLA, I appreciate residents’ patience while we redesigned the project to address significant highway access concerns. It was important to get this right.”

“As the fastest growing region in Canada for the past two years, we’re very pleased to see the Province invest in this transportation infrastructure improvement,” said Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran. “This project will make travel through our city safer and more convenient.”

This $60-million project is a major commitment from B.C. on the Move – the ministry’s 10-year plan. The Province is investing $41.5 million in partnership with $18 million from the federal government through the Building Canada Fund.

Construction is anticipated to commence early this spring with completion in fall of 2017.