Highway 6 at 25th Ave. is one of the intersections identified as in need of crucial upgrades (photo by Liam Verster / Vernon Matters)

By Liam Verster

Highway Crossing Upgrades

Vernon wants province to address highway crossing concerns

Jun 24, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The B.C. Government will be asked to improve pedestrian crossings at two major intersections.

At the regular meeting Monday, June 23, Vernon City Council put forward a motion to request the Ministry of Transportation and Transit address crossing concerns at Highway 6 and 15th Street, as well as Highway 6/30th Street and 25th Avenue.

The intersections were identified as in need of critical upgrades following a city-wide Traffic Modelling Study and Highway Crossings study.

Speaking with Vernon Matters, Mayor Victor Cumming explained the issues surrounding these two crossings.

“[With] the crossing at Highway 6 at 15th Street, there’s difficulty there,” he said. “Sarson’s Road comes in and where Middleton Road comes in and then transitions into 15th Street, there’s issues as soon as you try to cross 15th; there’s issues turning left onto 15th when you’re coming from the community and you’re heading east up the hill. There’s a new commercial area being built up there on the corner of 15th Street and Highway 6.”

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Cumming added: “The other corner everybody knows, you’re coming down Highway 6 and you run into 25th Avenue. Polson Park’s on your left, or on your right depending on where you’re going, and how do you get across the intersection as a pedestrian and a cyclist? That’s very critical because the multi-use path is on the east side and Polson Park is on the west side, so you’ve got to cross two sections of that highway or 25th Avenue. That’s another area that requires some very specific attention sooner rather than later.”

He said work being done in Electoral Area C, especially on Sarsons Road, would also further impact the intersections and traffic along the section of Highway 6.

Cumming said having two major highways run through Vernon are both a positive and a negative, and the city must ensure that pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles can cross the major routes.

Council voted unanimously in favour of writing a letter notifying the province that these intersections require improvements to benefit pedestrians and active transportation users.