The BC government held a news conference to officially put a wrap on the
upgrade to Highway 6 near the Coldstream Ranch.
Vernon Monashee MLA
Eric Foster says the 11 million dollar project has improved traffic flow
and made it safer over the 2.2 kilometre stretch between grey and
Ricardo roads.
"Everybody is really, really happy with it. It doesn't
make the trip to town faster or anything, it just makes it more
comfortable," states Foster.
Foster, who has lived in Lumby for 30
years, remembers first starting to lobby the province for the upgrade
back in 1986.
"I was at a meeting with the then minister of
transportation with Lumby council and Coldstream council. Ernie Palfrey
was the mayor (of Coldstream) and Dave Simpson was mayor of Lumby. We
we're lobbying then."
Lumby Mayor Kevin Acton, who's been driving the
route for 23 years, says taking out the section near the ranch has been a
major improvement.
"Any time you can save a life it's huge. That corner
was definately a huge danger, and a huge risk," says Acton.
About 9,000
vehicles use that part of the highway daily.
Vernon Mayor Rob Sawatzky
says the added safety is not just good for motorists.
"It won't be long
before this is one of the favorite bike routes in the North Okanagan,
and people come from the prairie provinces, and all over, to ride here
in our area."
The section saw 119 crashes between 2000 to 2009, many in
the dangerous part that ran by the Coldstream Ranch.
The contractor was
Windley Contracting of Nanaimo.
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2 comments:
This was desperately needed. I don't travel that stretch as a routine, but in the time I have, I've had to brake hard twice, to avoid being hit by drivers who miscalculated the turn and were headed into my lane.
Now for more police to hit hard on the NASCAR drivers passing fast when unsafe to do so.
All those living on 6 must have had some hairy experiences when pulling out of their driveways. I can't remember the times I watched these yahoos passing illegally, thinking I hope people pulling out of their drives better look both ways very carefully.
I am happy that the updates are completed but they should not be done yet.Our house is on the biggest bend a kilometer past Aberdeen.I can tell you how difficult it is to get in and out of that driveway safely.The improvements should have extended to Aberdeen so that cyclists and drivers were safer the whole route.
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