Alberta Transportation won't be making any changes to the Hwy. 28 intersections at Fort Kent and Ardmore anytime soon.
MD of Bonnyville Reeve Greg Sawchuk said he spoke with the the ministry about when they could see adjustments to the Fort Kent and Ardmore intersections along Hwy. 28.
“It’s a matter of public safety. You have a couple of intersections that are highly travelled; morning and night it’s a steady stream of traffic. Then you combine that with the heavy truck traffic and maybe impatient drivers, that’s when we end up with accidents,” expressed Sawchuk.
He brought the topic to council during their meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28, noting the province has estimated the intersections will be considered in 2020.
“What’s going to happen at Ardmore, because it is particularly troublesome there, is they’re trying to coincide the repaving of that highway going north with re-doing that intersection,” Sawchuk detailed. “They’re actually going to be upgrading that intersection to be putting in proper turning lanes. It’s not just a matter of painting new lines, they’re actually going to be expanding the size of the intersections, allowing for left and right-hand turning lanes."
In terms of the intersection at Fort Kent, the MD is hoping Alberta Transportation will make the project more of a priority.
“We’re still hoping they will at least put some markings at Fort Kent, because it’s somewhat confusing for people going through there,” stressed Sawchuk.
Enhancements to the intersections are being included in Alberta Transportation's plans to upgrade Hwy. 28.
The MD voted to send a letter in December 2017 to express their concerns with the turnoffs.
In particular, they wanted more consistency.
At the Fort Kent intersection, there's a left-hand turning lane but not a right, while at Ardmore, it's the opposite.
Drivers are passing people turning left at Ardmore, using the designated right-hand turning lane to do so.
Over the years, there have been a number of collisions in these areas, which is why the MD wanted to province to review it.
“Our primary concern is the safety of everybody going down that road,” Sawchuk said.
