INNISFAIL – A provincial safety review of the problematic stretch of Highway 54 along the west side of town bypassing the Bella Vista subdivision has recommended a new pedestrian crossing and a speed reduction.
During council’s regular meeting on Aug. 9, Meghan Jenkins, the town’s director of community services, said progress has been made with the province to address longstanding traffic and safety concerns along Highway 54.
“Essentially, we are happy with Alberta Transportation. They have agreed they would entertain a pedestrian crossing and a speed reduction,” said Jenkins.
The following day Jenkins told the Albertan that in spring, Alberta Transportation completed an intersection evaluation at Highway 54 and 42nd Street, with a recommendation for a pedestrian control to allow a crossing at the intersection, and speed reduction from 100 kilometres an hour to 70.
Jenkins said the town will need to extend the trail connection from 60th Avenue out to the crossing at Highway 54, which would then allow westbound and eastbound pedestrians to access and exit the 127-acre Bella Vista subdivision.
She said the planned improvements will be an item for the 2023 municipal budget as there will be expenditures for the town.
Jenkins said the estimated cost for the crosswalk improvements, which will include an Overhead Flashing Beacon System, will be about $100,000.
Jenkins said the plan is for the highway speed reduction to come after the crosswalk installation.
“It remains to be determined as to what will be paid by the town. The province doesn’t typically contribute to that, so it will likely be a cost borne by the town,” said Jenkins, noting the town needed the green light from the province to move forward. “Yes, they have to say, ‘yes, we'll let you do this, basically.”
However, it will be up to the province as to where the speed reduction begins and ends on Highway 54 along the west side of town.
“We've had verbal conversations and they've essentially said, ‘we'll have to look into where those speed changes would happen,” said Jenkins.
The speed and traffic concerns along the stretch of Highway 54 on the west side of town has been an ongoing concern since 2018, shortly after construction began at the Bella Vista subdivision.
The issue has become especially important for the 42nd Street intersection where the Bella Vista development on the west side on Highway 54 was showing early signs of exponential growth.
A year ago, Todd Becker, the town’s chief administrative officer, gave a verbal report to council about discussions he had with provincial officials at the Alberta Transportation regional office in Red Deer about the problematic issues facing Highway 54, particularly the 100 kilometre an hour stretch between the 42nd Street and Lakewood Drive intersections where the town has long eyed pedestrian crossings.
Becker said the meeting was “quite good, quite cooperative” in outlining council and community concerns with at least the 42nd Street crossing and its safety issues, as well as identifying key issues such as the future growth of the Bella Vista subdivision, as well as demands at the growing industrial park on the east side of Highway 54, and the roadway’s traffic counts.
He said the meeting concluded with Alberta Transportation committed to a safety assessment conducted on the greater Highway 54 corridor, specifically the Lakewood Drive intersection down to 42nd Street.
Becker added at the time the new assessment plan would take six to eight months to complete.
