Changes are underway at a dangerous intersection where a teenager from Kelowna, BC, was killed and many others were injured, according to the Department of Transportation.
In response to a query about what plans are in the works for an intersection of Highway 97 and Old Vernon Road/Dry Valley Road in light of a series of recent accidents, a ministry representative said a 2020 report called the Okanagan Gateway Transportation Study provided long-term planning of the problematic intersection.
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‘It’s a death trap’: Father of Lake Country teen killed in crash on Highway 97 calls for change
“The study identified improvements for this intersection that would include the restriction of left turns on the road along with the construction of new local secondary roads and the eventual construction of an interchange at Airport Way,” a ministry representative said in an email. .
“The ministry is engaging with the city and the airport to determine the timing and next steps to move forward with future improvements.”
In the meantime, however, they are also looking for some shorter-term solutions.
“After this accident, the Ministry will review this area to determine if other short-term safety or signaling measures would be appropriate at this intersection,” said the ministry representative.
The ministry’s statement also included condolences to the Hansom family.
“Our thoughts are with the friends and family of the young man lost in last week’s accident on Highway 97 and Old Vernon Road,” the statement read.
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Tavin Hansom, 18, died June 23, shortly before 4 p.m., while riding his motorcycle home from work, heading north on Highway 97.
A car coming off Old Vernon Road made a left turn onto the road in front of him and the collision was fatal.
That particular intersection on a 90-kilometer, four-lane stretch of highway is one the Hansoms have often passed through on their way home from work. It has no traffic lights or medians to discourage motorists from turning into traffic, which can be dangerous, if not deadly.
From 2016 to 2020, the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) reported that there were 125 accidents at that intersection.
James Hansom, Tavin’s father, said there was another accident Tuesday at the same spot where his son died just six days earlier.
No deaths were reported in that crash, but the sight of it hit James hard.
In the week since, James has been pushing for changes in the area where his son died, saying he’d like to spare other families the pain he’s had to carry.
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