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Highway damage to delay utility bills and increase local traffic in Penticton

The bills are printed and mailed out from the Lower Mainland
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The Coquihalla Highway has been closed since Sunday, Nov. 14 when a bridge collapsed between Hope and Merrit. Access between the Okanagan and Lower Mainland has been severed by this and floods and mudslides on all other routes. (Ministry of Transportation photo)

The City of Penticton is advising residents that the next set of utility bills are expected to be delayed due to highway damage elsewhere in British Columbia.

The bills, due for Dec. 7, are expected to be delayed due to the road closures because the bills are printed and mailed out from the Lower Mainland.

Printing and mailing from the Lower Mainland is done by the city as Canada Post no longer has a sorting and mass-mailing capacity in Penticton. The city could have continued printing the bills in Penticton, but then they would have required being sent down to Vancouver to be resorted and mailed back out to residents.

To find out the balance due on the utility bills, residents can either come in to City Hall (open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday), phone the Utility Department at 250-490-2489 or e-mail utilities@penticton.ca to find out the balance due for Dec. 7.

READ MORE: Highway 97 through Penticton will see huge spike in traffic

Residents can view utility bills through our online portal MyCity at online.penticton.ca/TDNL/MYCITY.

Once the highways start to re-open, the city is also calling on residents and local commuters to be patient in anticipation of much heavier traffic along Highway 97 while the Coquihalla is out of commission.

Extra attention should be observed at intersections, on ramps and pull-outs, as well as traffic lights, which may trigger longer than normal waits due to heavier vehicle volumes.

To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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