Safety concerns at the Hwy 97A /97B intersection arrived back at the Jan. 16 Columbia Shuswap Regional District board table by way of an email from the Regional District of North Okanagan.
Dated Jan. 13, the email was a response RDNO Area F director Alyssa Hopkins received from Maike Schimpf, project director, R.W. Bruhn Bridge and Approaches Project.
Both CSRD and RDNO had made their concerns known regarding the intersection, particularly the risk of head-on collisions because a two-lane northbound portion of the road up Baird Hill had suddenly been reduced to one.
Familiar with the issues, businessman and 60-year resident of Salmon Arm, Barry Siebenga explained how out of habit, he, like many regular users of the road between Enderby and Salmon Arm, was used to immediately getting into the left-hand lane and driving uphill past slower traffic.
鈥淭he first time, I automatically tromped it before realizing it was now only one lane, and the second time there had been a bit of snow and you couldn鈥檛 tell where the line was,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I made the mistake I thought I needed to do something. I was concerned that someone鈥檚 going to die there.鈥�
Very vocal about the safety risks, Siebenga said he was afraid if he didn鈥檛 say something and someone did die, he would feel partly responsible.
In order to better mark the lanes, Siebenga suggests the ministry install flexible delineator posts along the single lane portion of the northbound lane, believing the loss of a few posts is a far better outcome.
According to the B.C. transportation ministry's update to the RDNO, improvements are being made: the merge lane for traffic turning southbound on Hwy 97 has been changed from 鈥渕erge鈥� to a 鈥測ield鈥� and regular monitoring since implementing the change has confirmed improved functionality; the ministry is reviewing options to increase the storage capacity at the intersection but any lane configuration adjustments would be implemented in the spring as line painting can not be done in winter, and the traffic signal timing at the intersection has been adjusted to extend the northbound green light during busier traffic times.
As well, the maintenance contractor is providing increased winter maintenance to keep lane markings visible at the intersection and, to further assist drivers in navigating through the intersection, the ministry recently installed static information signs in advance of the intersection approaches along both directions of 97A to notify road users of changes at the intersection.
But Siebenga believes the problems caused by the Bruhn Bridge detour extends far beyond the intersection at Baird Hill.
A frequent traveller to Crazy Creek, Siebenga said that recently, at least 15 minutes was added to the normal 30-minute detour through Enderby because a crew was working on Mara Lake Road.
鈥淲hat is the cost to the general public, all these cars sitting and idling and why didn鈥檛 they do Mara when they were thinking about this massive highway?鈥� he asked. 鈥淚鈥檇 be happy to pay double time for the work to be done at night.鈥�
Siebenga is incredulous that the Trans-Canada has not long since been four-laned between Kamloops and the Alberta border.
鈥淭he road between Salmon Arm and Sicamous is very narrow, curvy and has skid lanes on every curve,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hy not spend a couple billion dollars, four lane it, and put a toll booth outside of Revelstoke.鈥�
The 3,000 semis he believes travel the route on a daily basis would be happy to pay a $30 toll to drive on a faster and safer highway.
Meanwhile, CSRD Area E director Rhona Martin asked that an update on the Bruhn Bridge detour be brought back to the board in March.
