Traffic woes at UBCM

Photo: City of Enderby

The City of Enderby's council has met Ministry of Transportation officials several times this week in Victoria at the Union of BC Municipalities annual convention, looking to find a solution to their highway congestion problems.

Enderby Mayor Greg McCune says the congestion on Highway 97 has been an issue for 20 years, and he, along with the Ministry of Transportation, is ready to find a solution.

“We had discussions regarding the next phases of the plans there and some of the analysis and studies that we have to look into,” McCune said.

He says the best solution to their congestion problem is twinning the highway.

“This has been discussed for about 20 years now, and I think that the majoirty of citizens would prefer that option over a lot of the others,” he said.

McCune says he does not want to see a bypass built around Enderby as that would “pretty much end everything.”

He says the meetings with the ministry have been productive and he feels they are receptive to solving the city's congestion problems soon.

“They've actually come to us after us saying the traffic is getting unbearable and they've acknowledged the volumes of traffic that we do have,” McCune said.

All of Enderby's council, save for Shawn Shishido, are attending the UBCM convention this week. 

The council will meet with the Ministry of Transportation again Thursday for further discussion.