Abstract Manager

The City of Penticton’s population is expected to grow by 20,000 residents over the next 25 years, representing a 55% increase over the 2021 census (36,885). To accommodate the influx of new residents, the City has been planning to build out a vibrant entertainment and high-density residential and commercial district for the North Gateway development growth area.  This area already is home to the South Okanagan Event Centre (SOEC), a major sports facility that houses 14 tenants including the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre, Community Centre, Curling Club, Cascades Casino and others. A key stepping stone towards implementing the envisioned growth area has been road and highway infrastructure constraints.

Thus, the City engaged with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) and retained Urban Systems to develop a Highway 97 and Local Road Interface Improvements Study.  This study lays out a strategic infrastructure plan to develop a complete network of streets, intersections, lanes, and a festival plaza that interfaces with Highway 97. The study involved a comprehensive review of development uses and densities, traffic, safety, geometry, active transportation and transit conditions to define existing and future conditions over 25 years.  The City emphasized a key objective is to plan for a mode-shift that will reduce vehicle-kilometers travelled by 14%, which will be done by increasing active transportation trips to 44% mode share, transit trips to 28% mode share, and by developing dense mixed-use growth areas, as supported by the City’s Community Climate Action Plan. 

Upon establishing baseline conditions, A total of 18 complete road network layouts were conceptualized that could support the City’s objectives and maintain vehicular access from Highway 97 to the development growth area.  Through stakeholder feedback, option screening and a multiple account evaluation, a preferred transportation network was identified with three intersection variations.  The preferred road network option was analyzed in Synchro and Sidra software to determine its ability to support the envisioned development for the area, which includes 2,000 new housing units, 370 new hotel rooms, and 25,000 – 30,000 square feet of new commercial space.

We conducted three stakeholder engagement workshops with BC Transit, the MoTI and the City to guide the study.  The result was a recommended transportation strategy with design drawings and cost estimates that was adopted by City Council and endorsed by MoTI. This project demonstrates how local and provincial governments can work together to prepare integrated land use and transportation plans.