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Traffic woes to increase on busy road

Concern over traffic congestion is dampening the spirits of northeast Okotoks residents. The Town of Okotoks revealed its final plans for the community campus on the Wedderburn lands at a public information session July 26.

Concern over traffic congestion is dampening the spirits of northeast Okotoks residents.

The Town of Okotoks revealed its final plans for the community campus on the Wedderburn lands at a public information session July 26. The plans indicated construction impacts and infrastructure designs for the site, and were met with a lot of questions from area residents.

James Cameron, project engineer for the Town, said resident feedback has been taken into account throughout the process and the Town has addressed issues as best as it can. He added feedback from the information session would also be considered.

“We are looking for some feedback, mostly as it relates to construction and any disturbances or disruptions,” said Cameron. “We have taken comments from residents seriously and tried to handle most issues from other open houses.”

Initial concerns included drainage issues at the Mesa condo complex at 32 Street and Crystal Shores Road and traffic on 32 Street.

“For drainage, we’re cutting a ditch along the south-side of our property and adding storm infrastructure to collect water and take it off-site,” said Cameron.

Town plans to handle drainage from the community campus site settled drainage concerns, but residents are still questioning traffic flow in the area once development begins.

Cameron said the Town has added highway-style merge lanes for turning left or right onto 32 Street, which he said should help traffic flow easier.

“Hopefully traffic can get out sooner and then merge over, especially at Holy Trinity Academy because we know that’s an issue now, where people just end up waiting forever,” he said.

Traffic turning out of the existing HTA and St. James Church access road or the Campus Road, which will be located just south, will enter turning lanes before merging into traffic flow, he said. Right-turn lanes will also be used to keep traffic moving freely.

Residents were surprised not to see traffic lights at the intersection for Campus Road, but Cameron said a traffic impact study indicated they weren’t necessary at this time.

He said the left-turn lanes should suffice and provide adequate traffic flow, even at peak times.

“It won’t make it worse,” he said. “It will work for now, though once the entire site builds out it will require traffic lights.”

He said town council could decide to install lights at the intersection sooner if they determine traffic to be an issue.

The traffic plan had some residents scratching their heads.

Mel Richards lives in the Penncross condos, at Crystal Green Lane. He said turning left out of the condo complex is already a nightmare, and he anticipates the Town’s plans will only make it worse.

“Getting out of there, the traffic’s going to be so heavy, and they’re saying they’re not going to widen the road for umpteen years, and they’re not going to put in lights,” said Richards. “Right now it’s almost impossible to turn left, and we have no other way of getting out.”

He and his wife have lived at Penncross for nearly four years, and he said in that time traffic has become progressively worse. Building a school and community recreation facilities will bring more cars to 32 Street, which he said already needs lights to control traffic flow.

“It gets bad when school is out, or church on Sundays, or on weekends when people are coming down there to shop at Costco,” said Richards. “They say they won’t put in lights until it’s needed, but I say it’s needed right now.”

Highway-style turning lanes will make it easier to turn right onto 32 Street, he said, but they are not likely to help a left turn.

“You’d still have to cross that lane of traffic to get to your merge lane,” said Richards. “All I think is this is going to make it easier to go right because you’ll be able to merge, but I don’t think it’s going to do anything for turning left.”

There will be safety issues with people trying to turn left onto 32 Street, he said. Even now, he said drivers tend to get impatient and turn when it’s not entirely safe.

Crystal Green area resident Shelli Perry crosses 32 Street to take her children to Dr. Morris Gibson, and she said it’s already a dangerous road. Adding more traffic will be more concerning, especially for young children attending the future K-9 school.

“There’s going to be so much congestion,” said Perry. “I know coming out of Crystal Green Lane is already a nightmare even with the lights there, and so I worry about congestion and impatient drivers, and the safety of the children you’re driving or walking back and forth to school.”

Despite doubts about how traffic will be managed, she said the plans for sidewalks and paths look amazing, and she’s curious to see what else comes of the community campus site.

“I do think it looks good,” Perry said. “I just have no idea how that amount of people will get in and out of that area on one road, usually all at the same time.”

Construction of Campus Road, grading and underground utilities is set to begin late August and roll into 2017.

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