Highway interchange project will commence on Monday
Work to redesign the interchange of Highways 1 and 3 in southwest Medicine Hat will get underway Monday and last through May, the city announced Thursday on behalf of Alberta Transportation.
Work will also change intersections at First Street (Powerhouse Road), Gershaw Drive at Eighth Ave. (near Bombford Cres.) and the connection of Highway 3 at Township Road 121.
Alberta Transportation announced last summer it would begin transforming the overpass of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 3 into more of a diamond configuration. The 10-year-old plan is meant to smooth access and egress on the busy but complicated traffic layout.
At the interchange both ramp intersections will have lights added and the northeast ramp (coming off the westbound Trans-Canada lanes) will be widened to provide dual left-turn lanes onto southbound lanes of Gershaw Drive. That work will take five weeks to complete.
Flagging was present this week, and a notice states projects kick off Monday.
As well, a current right-in, right-out configuration joining Gershaw to Bombford
Crescent in the light industrial area will become an all-directions intersection.
On First Street SW, work will eliminate the left-turn option from the side roads onto the highway near the South Saskatchewan bridge. Merge lanes on the highway will be extended.
Acceleration and deceleration lanes will also be improved at Highway 3 and Township Roads 120 and 121, just past city limits.