Preliminary work continues in Charlottetown on possible locations for two more roundabouts.
The city has engineers looking at the Charlottetown Airport intersection (Sherwood Road-Brackley Point Road) and is in talks to purchase land for a roundabout at the Vogue Optical intersection.
Coun. Terry Bernard, chair of public works, said a roundabout cannot be constructed at the airport where the intersection is now located.
That's because of the hill on the Sherwood Road.
"If they move the intersection more towards the airport it's possible a roundabout can work,'' Bernard said.
Regardless of what the engineers come back with, the city has identified the airport intersection as one where a change has to be made.
If a roundabout isn't the answer then it is likely it will become a signalized intersection.
Meanwhile, a decision on transforming the Vogue Optical intersection into a roundabout has essentially already been made.
The city's consultant recommended earlier this year that intersection should be transformed into a roundabout. The next step is actually purchasing the necessary land from adjacent businesses.
That's where the issue is now.
"We are in talks with the landowners,'' Bernard said. "Purchase hasn't been completed yet but we're moving ahead on the purchasing.''
Once that is finalized, the city will move on to the design stage.
What isn't in place is funding.
"We want to get the land purchased (and) we want to get the design done and be ready, shovel ready so when the funding comes through we're ready to go and there are no delays.''
The Vogue Optical intersection is currently fed by five lanes of traffic.
As for when work can actually start, Bernard said it could be 2012 or 2013.
There are other more pressing priorities, such as separating the combined sewage system. The city is spending $40,000 to take UPEI off the combined system but that is merely a band-aid solution designed to take some stress off the system while the funding is put in place.
The most likely intersection to receive attention after Vogue Optical is the intersection known as 'Ken's Korner' (now a Needs store).
The city likes roundabouts because they move traffic much faster than a signalized intersection does and the absence of lights and technology means they require much less constant maintenance.
This is a 50km/h zone, so the fault isn't the intersection, its the lack of police presence. If people cant navigate in a zone like that they should stay home or take a driving course