No quick fix in store for dangerous intersection
Judy Harwood’s phone lit up Thursday after two men died in a collision at Marquis Drive and Highway 16.
“Unfortunately, it is an area that is waiting for more of this to happen,” the Corman Park reeve said. “You don’t want to see anyone lose their life. And I got nothing but phone calls. I got probably more than any other incident that’s ever happened ... People demanding something be done.”
The road isn’t part of Corman Park; it’s a dividing line between the RM and the city.
The RM has been “begging” for a traffic light there for a long time, Harwood said.
“My councillors are telling me it’s before my time as reeve, and I got elected in 2012.”
SGI numbers show the number of collisions and injuries at the intersection have steadily climbed along with development in the area.
In 2003, there were six collisions with more than $5,000 in vehicle damage, and one injury. The preliminary count for 2013 includes 19 major collisions and eight injuries.
People turning onto the highway from the business hub are coming into the path of long, fast transport trucks, Harwood said, adding the RM has “begged” the Ministry of Highways to slow down traffic.
“(Drivers) don’t realize these guys are coming 110 km/h, 120 km/h. They’re not allowing enough time to make their turns.”
Harwood said she is happy there are now plans for traffic lights. The city announced after the crash that the ministry had, in principle, agreed to give the city jurisdiction.
In a news release, City of Saskatoon transportation director Angela Gardiner said the city hadn’t been able to do so earlier because the intersection is outside city limits. But it’s not that simple. The deal is “very preliminary,” said ministry spokesman Doug Wakabayashi.
“A draft agreement doesn’t even exist yet. There would certainly have to be a review by senior executives within our ministry, I’m assuming city council would have to review it as well, there would have to be review from a legal documentation standpoint, those sorts of things.”
The city and ministry have been concerned about the intersection for the past four years, he said.
A consultant report, completed in March, outlines possible fixes, including advance warning lights, median acceleration lanes and enhanced signage.
Full traffic lights are another option, but may lead to rear-end collisions because drivers on the highway don’t expect to stop.
Typically, the ministry would work with the city to review the findings and develop an implementation plan, Wakabayashi said.
But the city has also been looking at annexing land north of the city, which would include taking over that intersection.
If that happens, the ministry would hand off the report to the city.
For now, the question of who will fix the intersection remains unanswered.
Wakabyashi couldn’t give an estimate of when the work might happen. “Like I said, we don’t even have a draft agreement on paper yet,” he said.
City staff weren’t available for comment. A spokesman for Mayor Don Atchison said he also wouldn’t comment. jcharlton@thestarphoenix.com
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