by Colin Smith
An open house Wednesday evening gave Morinville residents an opportunity to hear about improvement plans for two of the town’s major intersections and make their views known.
Some 59 people were in attended the open house at the Morinville Community Cultural Centre (MCCC), along with the mayor and all council members.
Attendees were presented with options developed by the town, in partnership with ISL Engineering, for future improvements to the intersections of Cardiff Road/100 Street and 100 Avenue/Grandin Drive.
The choice for both intersections is between traffic signals or roundabouts. The initial costs for traffic signals are lower than for roundabouts, but the ongoing costs are higher.
Mayor Simon Boersma described it as a great meeting.
“The intersection open house was well put together, and we had a good turnout,” he said. “We would always like more residents’ participation, but those that missed it can get the information online.”
Boersma said opinions on the options varied among those he spoke to at the event.
“There were mixed reviews on the Grandin/100 intersection between a set of lights and traffic circle. There was a strong want for the traffic circle at Cardiff Rd and 100.”
The mayor added that he is looking forward to seeing the results from the survey that people who attended the open house were invited to fill in.
The survey can also be completed online at Engagemorinville.ca, along with the slides from the presentation. It will be available for the next two weeks.
The open house is part of the public engagement aspect of the town’s planning study for the intersections.
Previous elements have included a technical analysis and background review along with preliminary analysis and option development.
Production of a final report on the intersection improvements is scheduled for later this fall.
The report will be submitted to Alberta Transportation, as projects near provincial highways require final approval from the department.
Its policy is that roundabouts are the first option for intersection upgrades unless it is proven through proper documentation that a different treatment is preferable.
Town council will then be presented with a recommendation for the intersection improvements based on public input, technical analysis and public policy, as well as capital costs for construction.
Factors taken into account in the technical analysis include the costs for land acquisition and construction, cost to road users, collision reduction, safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, ease of use (driver familiarity), change to traffic noise and emissions, ability to service future community growth and impacts to traffic flow.
