Tuesday’s slow and slippery trip home for West Kelowna commuters will get a second look, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
In response to a question about conditions being less than ideal, local ministry staff are currently reviewing the maintenance contractor’s response to the event “to ensure compliance with ministry maintenance specifications.”
“Several minor incidents occurred which caused significant delays in traffic between 5:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. These incidents can also make it challenging for maintenance crews to cycle plows,” the ministry said in the statement.
The ministry added that its maintenance contractors continuously monitor weather forecasts and assess current conditions through frequent patrols to determine “how to best treat roads and protect travellers.”
That said, there were major traffic backups on the WR Bennett bridge deck. AimRoads, the company responsible for maintaining Highway 97, says the amount of snow that fell was a surprise.
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That said, company representatives said that they still had all hands on deck for clearing highways, and there were some preparations in place, including salt.
While parts of Highway 97, a provincial responsibility, offered a fraught commute on Tuesday, area city roads weren’t ideal, either.
Snow blanketed roads and caused massive slowdowns.
Cpl. Michael Gauthier said the Kelowna Regional Detachment was called to around 16 collisions Tuesday night.
“This included one particular incident involving 12 vehicles on John Hindle Drive at Academy Way just after 8 p.m.,” he said in an email. “There were no or minor injuries sustained stemming from these incidents.”
Gauthier said he was told that compact snow quickly turned to ice overnight and created terrible driving conditions across the city.
Mounties, he said, assisted where necessary and managed the flow of traffic in concerning areas.
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