The William R. Bennett Bridge

The City of Kelowna is separated from the westside by the mighty Okanagan Lake, which is 134 km long, (approx. 83½ miles) and between 4 and 5 km wide (approx. 2½ - 3 miles wide) with an assumed depth of 232 meters deep (761feet). Cities bordering this lake include Vernon in the north, Penticton in the south with Kelowna and the Westside in the centre.The $144.5 million five lane world-class floating William R. Bennett Bridge opened on May 25, 2008 replacing a three lane bridge which served as a critical link in the Okanagan since opening on July 19, 1958.This bridge one of only nine of its kind in the world – features

six floating pontoons, weighing 7,000 tonnes each,
three smaller pontoons weighing 3,000 to 4,000 tons each,
2,200 tonnes of structural steelwork,
25,000 cubic metres of concrete,
24 anchors weighing 75 tons to hold the pontoons in place and
15,000 cubic meters of Styrofoam fill at the west end of project.