Latest Waverley Street expansion set for the fall

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This article was published 01/07/2010 (5863 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Residents of Waverley Heights and Waverley West can expect to see further expansion of Waverley Street start as early as the fall, says a city engineer.

The road improvements likely can’t happen soon enough for some area residents following a recent fatal traffic collision.

According to a police report, on June 22, the driver of a vehicle travelling northbound on Waverley Street just before Bison Drive lost control and became involved in a serious collision.

A 49-year-old man was taken to hospital in critical condition, where he later died. The cause of the incident is still under investigation.

“Providing a divided roadway should provide a significant improvement in safety,” said Neil Myska, a transportation facilities planning engineer for the city’s public works department.

The area of roadway in question is currently subject to a land expropriation order for the Waverley Street Twinning and Widening Project between Albright Road and Sandusky Drive.

“The City of Winnipeg is currently in negotiation with the owners of the land itself,” Myska said.

Myska said that once negotiations for a parcel of land west of Waverley Street are complete, expansion work could begin in the fall.

“The project will include widening Waverley Street to four lanes between Bison Drive and Sandusky Drive,” said Myska, noting the expansions are designed to mirror the growth of the Waverley West neighbourhood, specifically South Pointe.

The prospective developments come from a catalyst called Waverley West Area Structure Plan, which was released several years ago.

Myska added that later phases of the expansion work will include “upgrading to a typical four-leg intersection at Waverley Street and Bison Drive.”

This comes as good news to one local resident. Alyson Pile thinks its time the roadway is upgraded.

“If you’re driving down Waverley to go south, the left lane curves to go into Bison at quite an angle,” said Pile, 24, who lives in Waverley Heights and works as a development officer for the Grace Hospital Foundation.

“The road just curves right on to Bison. I think they can develop it in a more straightforward way.”

Pile added that, in her opinion, time and progress have overtaken the original purpose of the road, citing the burden of increasing traffic flow on parts of Waverley Street.

“Prior to the growth of Waverley West, the road wasn’t really designed for such heavy traffic flows. The neighbourhood has kind of developed around it and, in some ways, outgrown it. There are certain parts of the street that now show wear and tear,” Pile said.

“In general, I think this latest news is a good thing, particularly if they are trying to bring a lot more people into the area.”

Myska said the community consultation process concerning the Waverley West Area Structure Plan dates back to a series of open houses in 2005.

These sessions examined components such as community pathways, transportation systems and environmental considerations.

simon.fuller@canstarnews.com