Lethbridge City Hall (Lethbridge News Now)

By Justin Goulet

Traffic Jams

City addresses traffic disruptions caused by West Lethbridge construction

May 24, 2019 | 11:50 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City has halted a construction project in West Lethbridge, for the time being.

The road work along McMaster Boulevard West at Macleod Drive West and Mt. Burke Boulevard West has been put on hold due to feedback from commuters. That stretch of roadway had been closed earlier this week as part of the Great Bear Boulevard and University Drive twinning project.

Great Bear Boulevard, a new roadway, must be completed by the Fall to accommodate the construction of Fire Station #5, to be built in the Watermark neighborhood, according to the City.

The complaints came as a result of the closure on McMaster causing congestion along nearby University Drive, the detour route. The conflict there was construction also occurring along University.

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Richard Brummond, Lethbridge’s Road Infrastructure Manager said the traffic delay was anticipated, but not necessarily to the level residents saw.

“Our staging plans, just like when we did Whoop-Up and Metis Trail, we kind of coordinated it. (For) McMaster, we thought we could handle it but I think we were a little bit overwhelmed and we had a lot of comments in, right from people going to daycare, and to schools and drop-offs,” he said.

“We just felt it was necessary that we rethink this and actually open up McMaster. We did do a few changes on University Drive, like light timing and stuff to really concentrate on where the traffic is coming from and where they’re going.”

He noted that Thursday night, once McMaster was reopened, the delays along University were “nothing compared to the day before”.

“Sometimes it takes a little bit to adjust, so we adjust, and the public adjusts too. When they’re going home, they go a little earlier, they maybe go a different route. Between the two of us, what we can do and what the public can do, all of sudden it kind of balances out and it makes a big difference if we both work together that way,” Brummond said.

He said what they could have anticipated better was the drop-offs for schools and daycares.

“You think you know where everybody’s going to go but we don’t know every corner and the timing exactly of where everybody’s going to go and where they need to go,” he added.

“I think it was a lesson learned kind of thing…we appreciate the comments and it kind of helps us adjust accordingly and make sure that we understand the impact.”

Brummond maintained that the delay of the McMaster Boulevard project will not delay construction on Fire Hall #5.

Once all the work is done on the West side, there will be a new fire station and University Drive will be improved into a four-lane roadway, which Brummond said will help relieve lots of congestion.

“I think the complaints that came in were justified and I hope we’ve reacted fast enough to help people get to where they need to go to.”

He added that the delay along McMaster will cost a little extra but did not specify any funds.

“It shouldn’t cost a lot for the delays,” he said.

On Thursday night at around 7:00 p.m., crews repaved through the intersection along McMaster and the road was reopened at about 11:00 p.m. once the asphalt had cooled.

EMERGENCY SERVICES

There had been some concerns brought in regarding spacing for emergency vehicles along the busy detour route.

Marc Rathwell, deputy fire chief with the Lethbridge Fire Service said they were not concerned on their end, even with construction on the go.

“It’s no different than any other traffic congestion in the city, whether it’s Mayor Magrath, University, any of the spots that get congested, we work with the public and the community to get our emergency vehicles through,” he said.

“Traffic delays are nothing new for any emergency worker. We work through those problems with the community and with all the other drivers on the road.”

Rathwell praised residents and said generally, they don’t have many issues with drivers blocking their path. When asked about the pylons and construction equipment along University, he said crews did not see that as an issue.

“Just to get through the traffic, there is physically enough space in the lanes, if people pull to the right, the trucks – even the largest fire apparatus, can fit down the centre. So, we work through that. Pylons, depending on their size aren’t really an issue,” he explained.

“Most cars will pull to the right on each side and we can go right down the middle.”

Brummond added that talks are underway on when the McMaster Boulevard work can resume in a way that will not cause a traffic disruption as it did earlier this week.