SUNDRE – Local motorists will in the short-term have to endure the after school rush hour exacerbated by the municipality’s construction on the Highway 27-Main Avenue corridor’s underground infrastructure.
But while council is doubtful anything can be done this season to alleviate the backup of traffic along Centre Street North and facilitate the flow for school buses, there’s reserved optimism about the possibility of working with Transportation and Economic Corridors (TEC) to come up with a solution for next year.
The matter was brought forward by a delegate on May 13 during a regular council meeting that Coun. Paul Isaac was unable to attend.
“I started driving a bus again, my hair turned grey,” said Jim Bowhay, who sought an audience with council to discuss the issue, facetiously adding “I’ve lost all my hair” since construction work started.
Bowhay told council there are nine buses that head east out of town after school, carrying a cumulative total of around 275 students from some 145 families that are also by extension affected.
Compounding matters are eastbound motorists seeking to avoid Main Avenue who have been driving around town and coming in from the north down the James River Road, which becomes Centre Street in Sundre.
Add to the equation older students who drive to and from school as well as parents who drop off and pick up their kids, and a traffic jam quickly builds up.
Before even reaching the intersection at Highway 27-Main Avenue and Centre Street, traffic backs up all the way to the intersection of Centre Street North and 2nd Avenue NW where the buses leave the schools.
“We have a hell of a time getting out of there, because cars coming from the north are in a panic to get through so they kind of go,” he said. “We leave a little room so cars can turn in and then pretty soon we have trouble getting around the corner.”
There’s also the crosswalk at the Bearberry Creek bridge that cannot be blocked, he said, adding that’s the intersection with 1st Avenue NW that numerous motorists are using as an alternate route to access Centre Street.
“So we wait there,” he added.
By the time bus drivers whose routes takes them east of town finally reach the traffic lights at the intersection with Highway 27-Main Avenue, they again end up stuck for some time as there’s no advance signal light and northbound traffic coming up from Centre Street South effectively prevents the majority of eastbound motorists from being able to proceed.
“The light’s long enough maybe for one or two get through. Maybe,” he said. “At the end of the day, as a bus driver, we’re now between 20 and 35 minutes longer getting out of town than we were before.”
However, Bowhay said he is not one to complain about a problem without at least coming prepared to present a solution, and suggested simply implementing a left-turning lane with an advanced signal so that eastbound traffic gets more of an opportunity to clear the intersection.
“That would speed up the whole thing in town. I don’t see a downside to it,” he said.
Recognizing the highway is under provincial jurisdiction, he said the municipality could nevertheless attempt to persuade Transportation and Economic Corridors (TEC) on behalf of the community.
Coun. Todd Dalke said the municipality has a limited ability to influence TEC.
“We have approached (Alberta) Transportation before on suggestions on those lights,” said Dalke, adding there has also been a recommendation to add a right-turn lane at the intersection so motorists coming into town on the highway from the east can more easily turn north onto Centre Street.
“We’ve had difficulties making our case with Alberta Transportation,” he said. “But I would agree that a revisit – especially through the construction and this next year – would be beneficial.”
Coun. Owen Petersen asked whether the problem was exacerbated primarily by construction work or if the backup of traffic has been an ongoing concern.
Bowhay said bus drivers have always had to wait a little while and that it’s just gotten worse with construction, but that a dedicated advance left-turning lane would go a long way to alleviating the congestion.
Petersen asked if another option might be to deploy the municipality’s new peace officer to direct traffic at the intersection during the after school rush.
“Two would be even better,” said Bowhay, adding the corner near River Valley School at Centre Street North and 2nd Avenue NW would also benefit.
Coun. Connie Anderson pointed out that bus drivers only had about another month or so left to go before the end of the school year.
“We can try, but Alberta Transport doesn’t move very fast,” said Anderson, adding the provincial department tends to “drag their feet in a lot of cases.”
“I think a turning lane would be excellent, but it might be tough to get it in in the next year,” he said. “Just so you understand that.”
Mayor Richard Warnock expressed uncertainty about whether the intersection is adequately set up to accommodate a dedicated left-turning lane, and added the town’s construction would be wrapping up within weeks.
“And then this construction is over until 2025. We need to work on what we can do for the next construction period, because I believe we’re not going to be able to help Mr. Bowhay or any bus drivers over the next two weeks,” said Warnock.
“I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I certainly understand the difficulties of working with Alberta Transportation.”
Additionally, the mayor pointed out that the municipality would first require approval from TEC to have the peace officer direct traffic.
Petersen proposed a motion directing the town’s community peace officer to investigate options to better control bus traffic at the intersection of Centre Street and Highway 27 during school times and the upcoming 2025 construction period.
Although supportive in spirit, Dalke spoke opposed to the wording of the motion as the highway and traffic lights are out of the municipality’s hands, and instead suggested directing administration to contact TEC to look at options.
“We can’t change lights, we can’t change lanes, we can’t do anything without them,” he said.
Empathizing as a parent who drops off his own children every day, Coun. Chris Vardas supported further advocating TEC on behalf of the community but was skeptical anything could be done in a timely manner before the end of the highway construction work.
“I don’t see being able to do anything for this construction season in a matter of two-week window or three,” he said.
Anderson cautioned against thinking the traffic concerns would evaporate when construction ends.
“This is not going to be just for the next year and a half. This is going to be a long-term program to change those lights,” he said.
Vardas agreed but said TEC still needs to be consulted and ultimately approve any proposed plan, to which Anderson also acknowledged.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” said Anderson.
Coun. Jaime Marr supported directing administration to look internally to what the municipality could do in house.
“The earlier you start something, the better,” she said. “Whether or not we’re able to do anything during this school season, time will tell.”
Chris Albert, director of corporate services and acting CAO for the meeting, said the municipality has “limited opportunities for the peace officer to be in that intersection directing traffic. But we’d have to look into it more.”
Elaborating on his proposed motion, Petersen said the town has a peace officer experienced in traffic control whose training could prove useful, and who could potentially even be deployed at the intersection of Centre Street North and 2nd Avenue NW near the schools.
Council ultimately unanimously defeated the motion but subsequently carried unopposed a similar one directing administration to explore all the options available to them to ease the burden on bus drivers during the town’s construction period.
Offering parting thoughts, Bowhay told council to consider the larger picture.
“Don’t be narrow minded that this issue on the lights is just about construction – think about rodeo time, think about the end of hockey tournaments, think about curling bonspiels. This is a bigger issue,” he said.
“Just so you know, I’ll be going to Alberta Transportation myself as well.”
