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Safety improvements to dangerous Highway 97 and 3A intersection near Penticton delayed

The Ministry of Transportation didn’t receive any bids from contractors for the project
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The Ministry of Transportation did not receive any bids from contractors to work on previously planned safety improvements to the intersection of Highway 97 and 3A. (Photo: Facebook)

A lack of interested contractors has put safety improvements for a dangerous intersection on Highway 97 near Penticton on hold.

The Ministry of Transportation received no bids from contractors for the planned project that promised to add a protected left-turn lane at the junction with Highway 3A.

Many contractors have already committed to other projects around the province and don’t have the capacity to take on additional jobs, the ministry said.

Subrina Monteith, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen director for Kaleden, had been pushing for improvements to the corridor long before the ministry announced in January that changes would be made.

“The project will move ahead just not at the timeline we had hoped for,” Monteith told the Western News.

“They are working on creative solutions. Breaking the project up versus one whole project so multiple companies could apply is an option.”

Other planned improvements included the addition of an acceleration lane dedicated to merging traffic going north on Highway 97.

“This is an important safety improvement project and we are considering alternative options for delivering it this construction season,” the ministry wrote in an email.

READ MORE: 70-year-old North Okanagan bridge to be replaced


@lgllockhart
logan.lockhart@pentictonwesternnews.com

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