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Recommendations for proposed improvements to Whoop-Up Drive interchanges presented to City Council

Jan 21, 2019 | 3:45 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Congestion on Whoop-Up Drive in the mornings and evenings, and how to deal with it, was the focus of the Whoop-Up Drive Interchanges Functional Planning Study that members of Lethbridge City Council heard recommendations from on Monday, Jan. 21.

The study looked at projected traffic volumes and identified improvements for both the Whoop-Up Drive interchanges and nearby intersections.

Transportation Engineering Manager Ahmed Ali says as they considered future growth in West Lethbridge and across the city, they looked at how they can enhance existing corridors like Whoop-Up Drive for the short, medium and long-term.

“The purpose of the study was to find ways to reduce congestion, add capacity for increased traffic on the east and west end of the river crossing and improve safety for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and transit customers in these areas.”

The Whoop-Up Drive Interchange Functional Planning Study includes traffic analysis, concept improvement options, cost estimates and recommendations after two years of research and public consultation.

Among the recommendations are extra lanes on University Drive and Scenic Drive, safety improvements, as well as improvements to cycling and pedestrian connections.

The total cost estimate for the short-term improvements to the University and Scenic interchanges is $23 million.

Funding would be considered in future Capital Improvement Programs (CIP) and the City of Lethbridge receives $6 million a year through the Basic Municipal Transportation Grant from the Province of Alberta to help fund transportation-related projects.

Heavy traffic on both sides of Whoop-Up Drive during the busy times of the day was the primary driver for undertaking the study according to Ali.

“We typically undertake planning studies for existing arterial roads to evaluate their adequacy in the future. As everybody knows, the west side of Lethbridge is increasing in population at a higher rate than the rest of the city, and we’ve already noticed some delays on Whoop-Up Drive.”

Discussions at council eventually turned to the possibility of a third bridge in the city, but such a project would be costly and time-consuming, and Mayor Chris Spearman relayed that the last time they even approached the province about any sort of support for such a project they said no.

Ali says whether or not a third bridge is built in the future, the short-term improvements are required.

“If we somehow get a nod on constructing the third bridge in the future, then many of the medium and long-term recommendations wouldn’t be required,” he continued. “But the improvements to the interchanges will work to meet the needs of the traffic demands west to east and vice-versa.”

What Ali and his department recommended to council was to refer their short-term recommendations until future CIP deliberations, which aren’t scheduled to take place until 2021.

“This is a planning level study, so the recommendations and the costs we have are high-level costs. We have to do more detailed design work to come up with actual costs, actual design implications, and then based on the designs of that detailed study we will be able to implement those short-term recommendations. We’ll have a timeframe of between five to ten years to implement the short-term recommendations, and because of the funding we’ll have to spread them into a number of projects based on priority,” Ali stated, adding based on their priorities at the time they will take up those projects accordingly.

More information about this project can be found here.