A second crossing connecting Kelowna and West Kelowna is once again emerging as an election issue, with local candidates offering different views on how to address growing traffic congestion on and around the W.A.C Bennett Bridge.
Calls for another bridge have persisted for years, as commuters regularly face delays on the existing crossing on Okanagan Lake.
“I think bridge traffic in the morning can be a bit much,” says Ryan Burley, who uses the bridge regularly.
The issue was highlighted earlier this month again when an accident forced the closure of all three southbound lanes for several hours, creating significant traffic backlogs.
BC NDP candidate for Kelowna Centre, Loyal Wooldridge, recently took a humorous approach to the issue, posting a social media video of himself attempting to cross the lake in a small dinghy.
But while Wooldridge is using humour to draw attention to the problem, he says building a second crossing is a long-term prospect and improving the existing bridge should be the immediate priority.
“There’s actually a plan on the books to improve traffic flow without the time and cost it would take, which would be billions of dollars to build a second crossing,” Wooldridge said.
Asked why improvements have not moved forward despite the BC NDP being in government for nearly a decade, Wooldridge pointed to the need for stronger advocacy locally.
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“My commitment is that I’m going to advocate for Kelowna,” he said. “This is a province-approved plan that needs advocacy locally for both Kelowna, WFN (Westbank First Nation) and West Kelowna to improve traffic flow by increasing capacity at the bridge, also improving the intersections right when you get off the bridge into Kelowna and it’s done by adding another lane to the existing bridge itself.”
During the 2024 provincial election campaign, the BC Conservatives, then led by John Rustad, promised to build a second crossing by 2032 if elected.
That timeline is no longer being reaffirmed under the party’s new leadership.
BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerkson has not ruled out another crossing but says he wants to hear from British Columbians before making commitments.
“Right now I am all ears. I’m listening to British Columbians, visiting British Columbians, and I absolutely, of course, want to look at everything,” Doerkson said.
Locally, BC Conservative candidate for Kelowna Centre Kristina Loewen maintained the party has not abandoned the idea.
“I don’t feel like we’re backtracking on that promise exactly. I would say that we’re continuing to look at it,” Loewen said. “We haven’t really had the chance and the opportunity in the opposition to look at building a bridge, and we’d like to.”
Loewen added she wants planning for a second crossing to start.
“We need to start planning for it in a way that works together with the city, works with multiple levels of government and reopens the studies that have been done on it,” Loewen said. “We need to start building the infrastructure, at least in and around the bridge.”
BC Green Party candidate Saoirse MacKinnon was unavailable for comment on the issue Friday.
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