Kelowna-West Liberal candidate Christy Clark says if her party is re-elected to government, it will remove the option of running a bypass off Highway 97 on the west side of Okanagan lake through Rose Valley.
In an open letter to residents of West Kelowna, just days before the provincial election, Clark said she agrees with Rose Valley residents and “many other passionate friends of Rose Valley Park,” that the bypass option should be off the table.
She vowed to remove it from consideration.
The route is being looked at as part of a larger Highway 97 corridor study currently underway by the Ministry of Highways. A potential second crossing of the lake is a major part of the study and could have linked to the bypass.
“Having reviewed these options, I share the concerns of Rose Valley residents with Option 2A (as the bypass is known), which would place a bypass through Rose Valley Park, a natural wonder and a tremendous local treasure,” writes Clark in her letter.
The park is hundreds of acres of land that’s been left in its natural state. It includes trails, a conservation area and the Rose Valley reservoir, the source of drinking water for thousands of West Kelowna residents on the city’s Lakeview water system.
In opposing the bypass, Clark joins her three challengers running against her in the riding in the provincial election, all of whom said during a recent all-candidates forum they oppose a highway bypass through Rose Valley.