Boucherie Road upgrades ‘too risky to delay’: West Kelowna mayor

There was a debate on West Kelowna council on whether to complete upgrades to Boucherie Road or Shannon Lake Road in 2023.

The discussion came up during budget deliberations Jan. 31.

Staff recommends that a multi-use path, construction of active transportation safety improvements, and upgrades along Boucherie between Ogden and Green Bay roads be done this year.

Coun. Rick de Jong said he was not happy Shannon Lake at Asquith Road would be delayed.

“We have many roads like this that need attention,” he said. “I would like to put Boucherie to 2024 and get Shannon Lake done.”

Mayor Gordon Milsom argued that Boucherie is a must this year.

“It’s a very dangerous road as has been explained by staff,” he said. “It’s too risky to delay another year.”

Coun. Garrett Millsap said the Shannon Lake project was important but noted there is a lot of tourist traffic on Boucherie in the summer and he has seen many cyclists in near misses.

Coun. Carol Zanon also wanted to look at upgrades to Shannon Lake more closely.

“Hundreds of homes are being built in the area,” she said. “I would rather accommodate the people that live here than tourists.”

Staff told council that work at Shannon Lake and Asquith could not be completed in 2023.

With de Jong and Zanon opposed, council did approve $2.4 million in the 2023 budget for upgrades to Boucherie, with $1.3 million coming from the 2022 budget to cover the total project cost of $3.7 million. Of the $2.4 million allocated in the budget, $1.8 million will be funded from development cost charges.

Staff have also applied for two grants for the project totalling $1 million.

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