PEACHLAND, B.C. — An increasingly well-travelled trade corridor in B.C. has now been twinned.

A 4.5 kilometre section of Hwy. 97 between Peachland and Summerland, B.C. has been four-laned, announced provincial Transportation Minister, Kevin Falcon and MLA Rick Thorpe.

"Highway 97 is not only a main corridor within the Okanagan, but is also becoming an increasingly critical transportation and trade route to the United States," said Falcon. "Four-laning this stretch of the highway to allow for the safer and more efficient movement of people and goods is something the south Okanagan needs and deserves."

About 11,000 vehicles travel the stretch of highway each day, with more than 13,000 vehicles travelling the section during the summer.

"When I became transportation minister, one of the first instructions Premier Campbell gave me was to focus my energy on Heartlands infrastructure," said Falcon. "This is exactly the sort of project that supports the Premier’s vision of safe, and efficient transportation in every region of the province."

Construction on the project began in April and cost less than $1 million.