Drivers in the central Okanagan will benefit from safety improvements planned for three intersections on Highway 97 through Peachland.

The Ministry of Transportation and Transit is planning upgrades at Trepanier Bench Road, Buchanan Road South and Buchanan Road North. These improvements are designed to enhance safety, improve traffic flow and reduce the risk of collisions by better managing access to the highway.

Trepanier Bench Road will become the main point of access to the highway. A new traffic signal will be installed at the Trepanier Bench Road-Highway 97 intersection.

As part of this improvement, access to the highway from Desert Pines Avenue will be limited to right-turn exits only. Left turns from Trepanier Bench Road to Desert Pines Avenue will no longer be permitted. Buchanan North and Buchanan South intersection movements onto Highway 97 will be restricted to enhance safety.

The projects are going to tender in the coming weeks and work will begin later in summer 2025.

The upgrades address safety concerns due to increasing local and visitor traffic, which has led to longer intersection lineups and a higher risk of collisions.

The improvements come from recommendations in the 2015 Peachland transportation study and are part of the broader Central Okanagan Integrated Transportation Network (COITN) program. COITN builds on years of regional transportation planning and serves as an integral part of the overall transportation network in the central Okanagan.