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New Okanagan Lake Bridge to be Named After Former Premier Bill Bennett

April 21, 2005

Kelowna – Premier Gordon Campbell today announced that the new Okanagan Lake Bridge will be named the William R. Bennett Bridge, after the 27th Premier of British Columbia.
 
“Naming the new Okanagan Lake Bridge for Bill Bennett is a fitting tribute to a man who did so much to build British Columbia’s transportation infrastructure, BC’s economy and BC’s place on the world stage,” said Premier Campbell. “Bill Bennett is a great Canadian and a great British Columbian.”

Bill Bennett served as Premier of British Columbia from 1975-86. His accomplishments included putting BC on the world map with Expo 86, and building a transportation network that would serve as a backbone of BC’s economic growth, including Skytrain and the Coquihalla Highway. Despite tough times and intense political criticism, he stood behind his vision to support Whistler’s development into the world-class destination it has become today.

“I consider this to be a great honour,” said Bennett. “British Columbia has always been a province of big dreams and big accomplishments. I was proud to be a part of building this great province and I am proud to have my name attached to such a great project for the people of the Okanagan and all of British Columbia.”

The current Okanagan Lake Bridge, located on Highway 97 in Kelowna, is the most congested stretch of highway outside the Lower Mainland. The bridge accommodates an average of 46,000 vehicles per day and peak summer traffic flows exceed 50,000 vehicles per day. By 2017, more than 69,000 vehicles are expected to use the new William R. Bennett Bridge each day.

“The decade of waiting for Kelowna and Okanagan residents is over,” said Campbell. “Transportation is the backbone of economic growth – and the William R. Bennett Bridge will keep trade, tourists, and local residents moving. This project is a key element in our 10-year strategy to open up our gateways to growth and opportunity across the province.”

The call for expression of interest in the bridge project was issued in October 2003. Preliminary construction work kicked off this month and the new William R. Bennett Bridge is slated to open to traffic in the spring of 2008.


 
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