To the editor:
I read with interest the contract and announcement regarding the "upgrading" to six lanes [from four] of Highway 97 from Highway 33 to Edwards Road. (Highway 97 Upgrades to Proceed, March 4 Kelowna Capital News.)
Why oh why, after all the hoopla that came with it, did the government not put a cloverleaf at Reid's Corner and the highway? This to me is a no brainer. That intersection will remain a bottleneck for 16 hours a day with this proposal.
This improvement is needed but falls well short of looking into the future. I have traveled it for 25 years and it is more and more the main choke-point on Highway 97, with the university, the airport and Lake Country all seeing huge expansions, I can only imagine what it will be like 10 years from now.
And, sorry Kelowna, but from Lake Country's standpoint doing business in Vernon will be a better option for many people in our area. As it is, Kelowna's road system is a nightmare to begin with. Why make it even less attractive?
Tobias Smit, Lake Country