Saving those Okanagan seats

Posted September 26, 2008 by Sacha Peter - Link
Category: Transportation

Removing the tolls on the Coquihalla Highway is a brilliant political decision, and indeed, a good policy decision - one that should have been made years ago. This decision will have an impact on the Kamloops and Kelowna-area electoral districts.

The Coquihalla Highway (and the Okanagan Connector linking to Kelowna) is a major feat of engineering. It reduces the time of a trip from the Lower Mainland by two hours, opposed to using Highway 3. Anybody driving this road will know it is engineered well (although the maintenance side of the highway has to see some improvement, especially in winter conditions).

This move will reduce the provincial government’s revenues approximately $57 million in yearly revenues, and this is offset by a reduction of $2.3 million in toll administration costs.

The NDP will have no defense to this other than by repeating the years-old news of the government attempting to privatize the highway, but this argument will have no sticking power whatsoever. It will also mitigate arguments that the Sea-to-Sky Highway should have been tolled after its improvements are completed.

The future Port Mann Bridge and the Golden Ears Bridge are currently the only structures that are slated to have tolls enacted on them - The Golden Ears Bridge will be $2.85 per direction assuming you have your car equipped with a transponder (similar to the device used in California toll roads).