Ministry responds to criticism of North Okanagan Highway 97 winter maintenance

Photo: AIM Roads

Anyone who commutes between Vernon and Kelowna is familiar with the "line in the highway" where winter driving conditions mysteriously seem to get better.

After complaints about AIM Roads' service in the North Okanagan following the last significant snowfall at the end of November, more drivers have come forward with their own experiences.

Simon Snobelen says he's been making the drive between Coldstream and Lake Country "for the last four or five winters."

Snobelen adds: "If you want to see the bizarre way that highways are maintained, and the vastly different standards that are applied, check out the stretch of Highway 97 between Vernon and Lake Country the next time a big snow comes through. In particular, notice the change of maintenance standards that happens at the intersection of Crystal Waters Road.

"After years of driving this road on a daily basis, it is very clear to me that the highway south of Crystal Waters gets way more attention than the highway north of (there)."

Snobelen is right in guessing that's where service area boundaries meet between the Okanagan-Shuswap and South Okanagan zones. The strange part is both zones are serviced by AIM Roads.

"Every time it snows, coming out of Vernon is treacherous," he says. "Often on the south side of 'Dump Hill' there are vehicles in the ditch between there and the Predator Ridge turnoff.

"It's packed snow and ice, but as soon as you reach Crystal Waters, it's bare pavement."

In an emailed statement, the Ministry of Transportation responds: "Our maintenance contractors must meet the ministry's strict standards for the maximum allowable accumulation of snow and ice on the road surface, regardless of location.

"While the winter maintenance requirements are the same along the service area boundary, the maintenance vehicles on each side will go through at different times in a storm because they are deployed from different locations. This can lead to one area being more recently serviced at that particular time.

"In some instances, additional snowfall may be occurring in one service area and result in the contractor deploying resources differently than the other service area."

The Okanagan Shuswap service area spans from Crystal Waters to north of Chase and east almost to Revelstoke. The South Okanagan zone continues south from Crystal Waters to the U.S. border, with the exception of the Bennett Bridge in Kelowna, which has its own contract, maintained by Protrans.

The Okanagan-Shuswap contract, awarded in 2019, is worth $17.1 million and will expire in 2029. The South Okanagan contract (2019-2029) is worth $17.7 million.

Snobelen says drivers "take their lives in their hands" on the Vernon-Kelowna stretch of Highway 97.

"It doesn't make sense to me. ...the north side is much more dangerous," he says. "The evidence is in the amount of wrecks on the Vernon side.

"I don't understand why this is acceptable to maintain the same highway in two completely different ways."

The ministry says "contractors are required to use the necessary tools and resources to respond to winter storms, including ample de-icing materials, winter abrasives and snow removal equipment."

It also notes tougher standards in recent years, including requirements to be more proactive in preparing for bad weather and more responsive in clearing snow, along with higher standards and oversight to ensure contractors "are complying with our high standards."

AIM took an earful from drivers in late November, with some claiming maintenance has gone down since the company took over.

Vernon-Monashee MLA Harwinder Sandhu said she would forward residents' concerns to both the Ministry of Transportation and AIM Roads.

The ministry encourages motorists to report safety concerns to AIM at 1-866-222-4204.