A multi-million dollar contract has been awarded to a construction company as phase two of upgrades along Highway 97 get underway in Kelowna.

The $36 million contract has been awarded to Emil Anderson Construction Inc. for the second phase of six-laning on the highway. The increased capacity is intended to make travel safer along the extremely busy corridor.

"Our design team has been working hard for the past two-and-a-half years to produce a design that meets the needs of the community," said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Todd Stone. "We appreciate all the feedback that was received through our public consultation process, and we thank the community for their patience while this important work was being done."

Photo Credit: Google MapsThe location to receive the upgrades.

The expansion will see upgrades over a four kilometre section of Highway 97 from Highway 33 to Edwards Road. The initial cost for the project is $60 million and the first phase began last year with the realignment of Finns Road, which was completed in December 2015.

"These long-awaited upgrades to Highway 97 will benefit all of Kelowna. From students heading to and from UBCO, transit users, cyclists and residents of Quail Ridge, Rutland, Glenmore, Ellison and Lake Country, these improvements will provide much needed capacity and improve traffic flow," said Kelowna-Lake Country MLA Norm Letnick.

Construction is anticipated to commence in early spring with completion slated for the fall of 2017.