Meeting set to discuss Cardiff intersection

by Ashley Janes

A private meeting has been scheduled for Nov. 18 to discuss the future of the Cardiff Corner intersection. MLA Maureen Kubinec, the Minister of Transportation, Honourable Ric McIver, Mayor Lisa Holmes, Sturgeon County Mayor Tom Flynn, and Deputy Mayor Gord Putnam will all be in attendance. Shortly after Council’s Swearing In Ceremony on Oct. 29, Kubinec said that she had spoken with McIver who agreed that a meeting should be set to discuss further development of the intersection in order to make it safer. When asked about the meeting, Kubinec said that she was optimistic they would make progress.

Flynn also made it clear that his priority going into the meeting was safety. “I will be working to find solutions to make this a safe intersection. My second concern is about working toward the interchange in the long range.” Holmes had nothing further to add, but emphasized that the Town would release a public update as soon as any new developments were made.

Press Secretary for McIver, Parker Hogan, made a statement on the Minister’s behalf. He explained that there are a number of variables considered when the province makes decisions regarding the three year construction plan. Traffic volume, condition of existing infrastructure, economic activity in the region, safety records of infrastructure, and available funding were some of the variables on that list. “At this point we don’t have the funding to move forward and we still are waiting on one little piece of property that we have to deal with,” he said, admitting that there were no new updates regarding the acquisition of that unattained property.

Hogan stressed that, in the meantime, Morinville residents should take care to drive safely on the highway and through the intersection. “We can build highways, or roadways or intersections or interchanges to the safest standards that engineering can provide, but we also need drivers to take safety into their own hands, to drive the speed limit, to obey the rules, to not take unnecessary risks.”

According to Michal Pylko, Construction Manager for Alberta Transportation, the intersection had been reviewed back in 2011 in order to develop options and determine the best solution for growing local traffic. The solution they came up with was a full interchange at an estimated cost of $45 million. More recently, Alberta Transportation has been exploring options for temporary intersection improvements to address safety concerns.

“Several options have been developed and are being reviewed. Once the review is finalized, it will be shared with all stakeholders,” said Pylko. “Although some options have a potential impact on the 100th Street intersection, a roundabout is not being considered in advance of the main Highway 2/Cardiff Road project.”

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5 Comments

  1. I wonder why this needs to be a private discussion. Too much stuff has gone on behind closed doors or in confidence. The worst possible thing to come of this meeting would be no forthcoming information that can be passed to the public. If the Province is going to deliver bad news, they should be there in person to take the heat. My thoughts…

  2. How hard is it to reduce the speed on hwy2 at this corner for the time being? It will save lives while they find a solution.

  3. All this fuss and 45 million because a hand full of people couldn’t figure out how to cross an open unobstructed roadway safely…. Personally I feel that this 45 million would go alot further in developing some sort of driver educational plan or a program of driver recertification. I fully believe that legislating everyone to requalify for their drivers licence (written and road tests) every 10yrs would take most of these people from behind the wheel. I would also suggest that a 10yr drivers history be looked at(including how many photo radar tickets were generated). Poor drivers (preventable accidents and/or tickets) require a Defensive Drivers Course before getting recertified.

    Education is what is needed to correct these issues, not building expensive overpasses to allow these bad drivers to clear Morinville and take their problems to the next intersection down the highway.

    If you find this intersection dangerous and challenging, I recommend you take the 5 minutes to drive to the existing overpass. 5 mins out of your way vs taking a chance with your life….

  4. Kim, reducing the speed limit, in my opinion, won’t make a difference. As alluded to in the past, the sight-lines require improvement. Whether thru traffic is going 80 or 100 kmph, hurried people will take unnecessary chances, which is why there are accidents at this location.

  5. Very simple solution for the current safety issue until the overpass is constructed. Take the northbound turning lane that exits the highway eastbound toward Cardiff and move the lane 100-200 feet east . Fill in the ditch and make the turning lane where the current ” ditch ” is or even a little on the farmers land . This way the line of sight will no longer be obstructed as you are trying to leave Cardiff road heading south to St.Albert.

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