Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes says an alternate route is needed in addition to Highway 97 in the Okanagan Valley.

鈥淲e need another year-round route near Summerland,鈥� he said.

His comments came following a July 4 announcement by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure that the major blasting work at the site of a rock slide north of Summerland has now been completed.

The rock slide occurred in late August 2023 and in long detours and later lengthy delays to accommodate road crews during blasting.

Holmes said the highway, which connects communities throughout the Okanagan Valley, is an essential transportation route

鈥淚t鈥檚 our lifeline. We鈥檙e so dependent on it for everything,鈥� he said. 

Other slides in the same area have occurred in the past, including in 2008, 2014 and 2019. In addition, a slide at the bottom of Summerland Hill, just south of the main entrances to the community, occurred in 2023, a few months before the rock slide.

Holmes said an alternate route, possibly a nearby forestry road, would alleviate the pressures when slides or obstructions occur on the highway. He said a year-round alternate route is in place in the North Okanagan, but not in the South Okanagan.

Mayors of communities within the Okanagan have been petitioning for an alternate route.

While a second route is not in place as a year-round option, Holmes is pleased with the progress highway crews have made.

The highway is now open as four lanes until just around the rock slide area. Earlier, the highway was limited to two lanes between Summerland and the slide. This resulted in road rage and accidents in that area, Holmes said.