The Town of Innisfail will not permanently close a part of 60th Avenue and 42nd Street after council shot down the proposal following a public meeting on the matter.
Members of the public were invited to speak for or against the proposal during council's regular meeting on April 22 after council, last month, carried first reading of a bylaw to permanently close parts of the roads at the request of a local business.
Northwest Pipe requested that a portion of 60th Avenue be closed to through traffic because its office is located on one side of the road while its plant and yard sit on the other side. The road closure would allow the town to sell the adjacent area to the company.
After advertising the proposed road closure in the local newspaper and after sending a notice to affected landowners, comments from the public were heard by town council last Monday night.
Before comments were heard, arguments for and against the permanent road closure were summarized for council. The arguments for keeping the road open included convenience, safety along 37th Street to direct traffic away from equipment and workers, the ability to provide an emergency access route when other access points are blocked, and the ability to extend 60th Avenue as a north-south route when the lagoon area is redeveloped.
But those who argued for the permanent closure said three access points into the area off 42-42A Street was adequate, that pedestrians are safe along the north portion of 60th Avenue, that sufficient emergency access is available at three points, and that the closed portion of 60th Avenue south of 37th Street has been sold and is not available for use as a future road alignment.
Administration also stated that it was possible to create a long-term road network by extending 57th Avenue south and then west to provide a loop road that would connect back to 42A Street via 61st Avenue.
Administration recommended the road be permanently closed, arguing that its closure has more technical merit than to open it up to daily traffic, that pedestrian safety is a concern in both scenarios, and that the congestion of 37th Street would not change as a result of opening up 60th Avenue.
“The congestion on 37th Street is going to be congested regardless of whether or not this road is open. That's a function of the way parking occurs, the way the road is used and the layout and the way people have had to build their operations straddling the road because we have no other options available to them in terms of available land,” said Craig Teal, director of planning and development.
Teal also argued that the cost to maintain extra road infrastructure would be a burden.
“We don't need that fourth leg in the overall network and it just becomes a cost to the taxpayers in terms of initial capital to build and the ongoing cost of maintaining it to a standard that would be suitable,” he said.
A representative from Northwest Pipe spoke in favour of the road closure. She confirmed that her company would purchase the adjacent land and also pay for the construction of a new connector road.
“There should be no cost to the taxpayer as a result of this closure,” she said. “As a matter of fact, there would be a contribution by the sale of the properties.”
Those who opposed the permanent road closure at the public meeting included a representative of a welding company located in the area.
“That is a road that we would be wanting to see used for shipping large packages and things like that,” the representative of the welding company said.
In the end, not one member of council voted in support of a motion directing administration to proceed with the permanent road closure. The section of road has not been used in 17 years. But its permanent closure could prove to be a hurdle should the town decide it wants to make use of the roadway in the future, argued Coun. Mark Kemball.
“Do we need it today? No. Do we need it 15 years from now? We don't know, but if we close it that option is gone,” Kemball said.
Mayor Jim Romane said that his colleague made a good point.
“Maybe we all agree it is not necessary now, but we don't know what the future is going to be once that entire area becomes available for development,” the mayor said.
The section of 60th Avenue has been closed to through traffic since 1996. It is currently blocked by concrete culverts. Coun. Derek Baird was not present at last week's council meeting.
