City has no say on Hwy 97 changes

They may voice their opinions, but it’s not up to City Council on whether or not changes will be made to an intersection on Highway 97.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) has deemed it necessary to close the northbound lane of Westwood Drive between the Hwy 97 southbound off-ramp/on-ramp and 22nd Avenue, following the death of a CNC student in that area.

Earlier this year, the student was hit by a car north of the intersection on Hwy 97 in front of CNC. The location was commonly used by CNC students and staff to cross the four-lane highway.

The intersection sees upwards of 2000 vehicles per day, according to Dave Dyer, General Manager, Engineering and Public Works.

Action was taken by the City, MoTI and CNC to discourage crossing Hwy 97 at the location of the incident, including the installation of a barrier on the meridian of Hwy 97, building a new sidewalk and on-campus signage.

Councillor Brian Skakun said he wished they’d found another way to deal with the issue.  

“Easily that’s going to be a couple thousand vehicles displaced by this. It feels like the drivers are being penalized and I don’t think we need to make such a major distraction to our traffic,” he said. 

Councillor Terri McConniche was grateful the intersection was being addressed and said it’s been a problem for many years. 

“Our city streets are busy, and they are getting busier. We have to outweigh the good with the bad. I think with the benefits will outweigh the downfalls,” said McConnachie.

Councillor Kyle Sampson said while it’s an inconvenience, if it keep residents safe, it’s a good thing.

Drivers will have to take an alternate route to access to Hwy 97 northbound, from the on-ramp east of the overpass on Massey Drive, just east of the intersection of Westwood Drive and Massey Drive

MoTI is also changing the traffic signalization at the intersection, including a dedicated left turn movement for 22nd Avenue traffic. The pedestrian crosswalk signal will be synchronized with the 22nd Avenue through and right turn movements and a countdown feature will be added. 

The road will be permanently closed to traffic in mid to late January, 2019.