Temporary Traffic Calming (TC) Curbs will remain at the intersection of High Country Drive and High View Gate after construction is completed.
During the Aug. 11 regular meeting, High River Town Council reviewed the temporary traffic measures currently in place on High Country Drive, while pathway realignment and fibre optic installation is underway.
Reiley McKerracher, Director of Municipal Services, explained that due to the recent rain, the construction work is running behind schedule.
“It was supposed to be poured and paved last week, but the weather has set us behind, but we are still moving forward with the plan,” he said.
Councillor Jenny Jones said that although the pathway realignment is not completed, she believes the realignment will alleviate some of the traffic concerns in the area.
“I would like to see those barriers removed and the new pathway given a chance to see how it alleviates some of the issues that we had on its own,” she said. “As for the four-way stop, I'm still OK to keep it, but those barriers at the moment are somewhat useless."
Councillor Michael Nychyk expressed concerns about removing the barriers.
“You remove the barriers as a visual impediment to speed and travel, I'm concerned that people are going to think the stop sign isn't there anymore,” he said.
According to McKerracher, anytime there is a change to traffic control, there is always an adjustment period.
If the barriers are removed, he recommends changing the intersection back to a two-way stop.
The goal of the TC Curbs, the narrowed intersection, and the four-way stop was to create a safer intersection.
Mayor Craig Snodgrass believes that it’s time for council to decide on how to move forward.
“The only reason it's been temporary is because of this council. We have not pulled the trigger on the decision to vote on either tearing it out or making it permanent. We've taken our time to try to figure out the best route,” Snodgrass said. “The chances of getting it done this year are zero. There's no question, there are budgetary concerns, but there's also contractor availability.”
Council agreed to finish the current construction work and put the temporary traffic measures back in place.
“The decision will get deferred to the next council, we can't do it, we're too tight for time,” Snodgrass said. “Temporary gets put back in place because we all believe that is the safest design.”