Update: 4:27 p.m.

The Ministry of Transportation and Highways has responded to questions about putting the Central Okanagan Planning Study (Highway 97 Corridor Study) on hold.

In an email response to the Capital News late Wednesday afternoon, the ministry said:

鈥淎t the Union of BC Municipalities (convention) last year, the City of 琉璃神社 requested the ministry align our work with the development of 琉璃神社鈥檚 new Master Transportation Plan. As well, the Central Okanagan Regional District is starting to work on a regional transportation plan.

The work to date on the Central Okanagan Planning Study will help inform both of these plans, and ministry staff are working closely with both groups.

Because of these new plans, the Central Okanagan Planning Study cannot proceed along the original timeline, but this will have no impact on the planning study for Peachland. We are listening to the people of Peachland, and we want to hear what the public has to say on the district鈥檚 transportation needs.

The results from the initial round of open houses have been compiled, and a follow up public engagement will be planned for later in 2018.鈥�

The Peachland work, which was taken out of the original Highway 97 study mandate and is now being conducted separately, is looking at the highway through that community and what can be done to improve it, including possibly relocating a portion of the highway.

Original story:

Just months before it was due to be complete, the province鈥檚 highly touted two-year study of Highway 97 between 琉璃神社 and Peachland has been put on hold, according to Transportation and Highways Minister Claire Trevena.

Or has it?

In responding to questions from 琉璃神社-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick in the B.C. Legislature Tuesday, Trevena said the study was put on hold at the request of the City of 琉璃神社.

鈥淭he Central Okanagan planning study is on hold,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 on hold at the request of the City of 琉璃神社, who are doing their own work on studying traffic and doing their own studies. It鈥檚 on hold at their request. There will be public consultation, hopefully, later this year, when 琉璃神社 has done the work that it wants to do. But rather than duplicate that and carry on, 琉璃神社 requested that the province hold back on continuing the Central Okanagan planning study.鈥�

But after a follow-up question from Letnick, where he asked if the ministry consulted the mayors of Lake Country, West 琉璃神社 and other cities in the Okanagan impacted by the delay, Trevena was not as definitive.

鈥淎pparently, there is still work going on,鈥� she told Letnick. 鈥淕oing out to consultation will be later this year. It is not as intensive work as has been going on in the past, because of 琉璃神社鈥檚 work.鈥�

She noted the other cities are part of the regional plan that 琉璃神社 is spearheading.

But news that the provincial study is on hold came as surprise to 琉璃神社鈥檚 manager of integrated transportation, Rafael Vilarreal. On Wednesday he said was not aware of any request to the province from the city to halt its work.

Vilarreal confirmed the city is undertaking its own work as part of the larger Regional Strategic Transportation Plan, saying the city saw the province鈥檚 study as too 鈥渉ighway centric.鈥�

鈥淲e want to see more of a holistic approach,鈥� he said.

The regional plan includes 琉璃神社, West 琉璃神社, Lake Country, Peachland, the Westbank First Nation and the Regional District of Central Okanagan. Representatives of the province are also involved with the regional plan said Vilarreal.

He said what happens on Highway 97 affects a number of main city roads such as Gordon Drive, Lakeshore Drive and Glenmore Drive.

But as for the city requesting the province put its two-year study鈥攚hich was due to be completed later this year鈥攐n hold, Vilarreal said it was news to him.

He said it was his understanding the two studies were working in combination with each other, even though the provincial study is much farther along. The regional planning study has yet to name a consultant to work on it. It has a two-year time frame for completion.

The provincial study, initiated by the former Liberal government, started in the winter of 2015 and had been looking at the highway between north of 琉璃神社 and south of Peachland, including a possible second crossing of Okanagan Lake.

Several rounds of public consultation have been held and recommendations for some short to medium-term improvements have been made. They include spending an estimated $40 million each on underpasses at the Highway 97 intersections with Westlake Road and Boucherie Road in West 琉璃神社 to improve safety and traffic flow.

But at an open house last year, ministry officials said with approvals, land purchases and detailed design work yet to take place, construction of those underpasses is likely still years away.

The provincial study also found only a small percentage of traffic using the existing William Bennett Bridge Bridge over Okanagan Lake travels beyond the Central Okanagan, and for that reason, a second crossing is not deemed as much of a priority as it once was.

No one who could talk about the status of the provincial study was available at the 琉璃神社 Ministry of Transportation and Highways office Wednesday, and ministry communications staff in Victoria could not immediately comment about the minister鈥檚 remarks or any delay with the Highway 97 Corridor study.

The webpage for the study makes no mention of it being on hold and shows only progress to the end of 2017.

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