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Kelowna Floating Bridge | |
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Coordinates | 49°52′47″N119°30′43″W / 49.879648°N 119.511852°W |
Carries | 3 reversible traffic lanes of Highway 97, pedestrians |
Crosses | Okanagan Lake |
Locale | Kelowna, BC |
Official name | Okanagan Lake Bridge |
Maintained by | SNC Lavalin |
Characteristics | |
Design | Pontoon bridge, Vertical lift bridge |
Total length | 650 m (2,133 feet) |
History | |
Opened | July 19, 1958 |
Closed | May 31, 2008 |
Location | |
The Okanagan Lake Bridge (also known as the Kelowna Floating Bridge) was a three-lane, 650-metre (2,133-foot) long floating bridge in British Columbia, Canada. It crossed Okanagan Lake, connecting the Westside area to Kelowna on the lake's eastern side. Taller boats such as sailboats were able to pass under the lift span which was located at the east end of the bridge.
Completed in 1958 and officially opened by Princess Margaret, [1] the bridge was the first of its kind in Canada. The bridge was partially funded through tolls, which were collected from its opening until April 1, 1963. [2] [3] Originally the bridge only had 2 lanes, (1 in each direction), but in 1984 the bridge deck was reconfigured and a third lane was added. This new lane became a counter-flow lane, and would allow the lanes to adjust to traffic demand at different times of the day. In 1991 the bridge underwent major electrical repairs and a breakwater was removed.
The bridge served as an important regional transportation link in the Okanagan Valley, joining the southward section of Highway 97 on the west side of the lake to the northward section on the east side, and connecting West Kelowna and other southern points to Lake Country and other northern points.
The floating bridge was replaced as it outlived its usefulness and was incapable of supporting the traffic levels. The construction of the new replacement bridge—the William R. Bennett Bridge—began in 2005 and was completed in 2008. The new bridge opened on May 25, 2008, and the old bridge closed May 31, 2008. It was decommissioned in 2009.
A concrete anchor from the original bridge was raised to surface and set at the corner of Highway 97 and Ellis Street in Downtown Kelowna. On September 16th 2024 the concrete anchor was demolished on site due to the City of Kelowna wanting to revitalize the area to create a more pleasing entry point. [4]
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Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word kiʔláwnaʔ, referring to a grizzly bear.
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The Okanagan, also called the Okanagan Valley and sometimes the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is part of the Okanagan Country, extending into the United States as Okanogan County in north-central Washington. According to the 2016 Canadian census, the region's population is 362,258. The largest populated cities are Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and West Kelowna.
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Highway 97C is an east–west highway, forming part of an important link between the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan Valley south of Kelowna, which is the third largest metropolitan area in the province. It bisects the Coquihalla Highway at Merritt. The expressway and freeway sections of the highway are known as Okanagan Connector or Coquihalla Connector. The section of Highway 97C between Highway 5 and Highway 97 is a core route of the National Highway System.
Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland is approximately half-an-hour's drive south of the city of Kelowna and about a 20-minute drive north of Summerland. The Okanagan Valley is very narrow in the area and there are few terraces that mark former lake levels and the former lake bottom. As a result, the city is largely located on a steep sidehill. Like many other areas in the Okanagan, Peachland is rapidly growing, with new residents coming from all across Canada. Across the lake from Peachland is Rattlesnake Island, home of the legendary Ogopogo. Peachland is approximately 370 km from Vancouver, British Columbia, on the British Columbia south coast.
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Kelowna International Airport is a Canadian airport located approximately 10 minutes or 6.2 nautical miles northeast of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on Highway 97.
Lake Country is a district municipality with a population of approximately 15,000 in the Okanagan Valley region of British Columbia, Canada. It is a part of the Central Okanagan Regional District, and of the Kelowna metropolitan area. The city of Kelowna lies to the south, while the city of Vernon lies to the north. As its name suggests, there are a number of lakes in the vicinity of Lake Country, and outside the municipal boundaries in the hills to the east. Okanagan Lake defines the western boundary of the municipality, while the entirety of Wood Lake and the southernmost portion of Kalamalka Lake are encompassed by it.
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Kelowna Regional Transit System is operated by Transdev, providing public bus transportation services in part of the central Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Funding for the transit system is shared between the City of Kelowna, Regional District of Central Okanagan, District of Lake Country, City of West Kelowna, Westbank First Nation and BC Transit, while the planning and routing decisions are primarily made by Kelowna City Council. Kelowna Regional Transit was one of the first public transit systems in Canada to have double-decker buses, and the first in Canada to have hybrid buses on regular routes. The hybrid and double deckers buses have since been relocated to Victoria.
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97 Express Kelowna RapidBus or 97 Okanagan is a bus rapid transit line operated by Kelowna Regional Transit System since September 2010 in Central Okanagan, British Columbia, Canada. The service connects UBC Okanagan Exchange, Downtown Kelowna and Westbank Centre. 97X RapidBus offers high speed bus service by utilizing traffic signal priority and HOV lanes on Highway 97.
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