Construction on roundabout underway
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This article was published 25/05/2015 (3907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Residents in North Kildonan can expect traffic delays at the intersection of Gateway Road and Sun Valley Drive.
Construction started last week on a roundabout at the busy intersection, which is currently home to a three-way stop. The roundabout is expected to ease traffic flows.
Since the Chief Peguis Trail extension was completed in 2011, traffic along Gateway north of Chief Peguis has been known to congest at peak times.
“Traffic was busier than expected,” Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan) explained. “It was necessary to find a way to mitigate the backed-up traffic at Sun Valley and Gateway. Cars were so backed up they were lined up all the way to Gateway and Chief Peguis.”
A single-lane roundabout with three access points was proposed, allowing traffic to flow continually rather than starting and stopping.
Public works approved the project, and it received funding approval as part of the 2014 Capital Budget. Construction was intended to be completed last year. However, delays in rerouting underground utilities pushed the start date too late into the construction season.
“If they had started in August, they might not have finished the work (before winter),” Browaty said.
Because the intersection is such a busy one, and the stretch of road so key to local commuting, the intersection will remain open during construction.
“They’re going to build the circle in phases,” Browaty said. “They’ll build part of it, then put temporary asphalt so it can stay open.”
Construction is expected to be completed by the time school starts in September.
“That might be aggressive,” Browaty added, “but that’s still the goal.”
The Northeast Pioneers Greenway will remain open during construction. However, crosswalk at Gateway and Sun Valley will be closed during construction.