The provincial government is spending close to $1 million to put in a roundabout at a major intersection in Oyster Bed Bridge.
The intersection in question is where Routes 6 and 7 meet the Crooked Creek Road, which is also the location of an Esso service station.
The actual roundabout will cost about $800,000 while the road realignments will run another $150,000 for a total project cost of around $950,000.
A public meeting to go over the project was held earlier this month at the Brackley Beach Community Centre.
“We’ve done some small improvements there over the years, (but) nothing really seemed to be effective in terms of slowing traffic down (or preventing) the near misses and collisions that were happening at the intersection,’’ said Steve Yeo, chief engineer with the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy.
Yeo said the province has tried to improve traffic safety. It has taken trees and vegetation down to improve sightlines and stop signals have been moved closer to the intersection. Other measures have been undertaken, such as putting in rumble strips in an effort to slow traffic down.
“We’ve done some small improvements there over the years, (but) nothing really seemed to be effective in terms of slowing traffic down (or preventing) the near misses and collisions that were happening at the intersection.”
-Steve Yeo
“And, last year we put up some feedback signs to let people know what speed they were travelling when they were going through the 60 kilometre-an-hour zones. We’re still listening to locals. They’re hearing tires screeching on a daily basis out there and some near collisions, so we’ve designed a roundabout that’s going to be located at the intersection,’’ Yeo said.
The project will involve realigning a portion of all four corners of the intersection.
“We’re going to offset the circle from where the intersection is just a little bit to the south and improve sightlines coming down from the North Rustico area.’’
Like many other roundabouts, there will be curves leading into the circle to slow traffic down.
The actual roundabout will be a 38-metre diameter, identical to the roundabouts in Mount Herbert and the 48 Road. It will feature a single lane with a raised centre and vegetation inside the circle.
All necessary land has been acquired, and Yeo said the owners at the Esso service station like the design.
“We’re actually going to move the centre of the intersection a little bit away from their property,’’ Yeo said, referring to the service station, “but they can still accommodate large vehicles in and out of the business.’’
And those large vehicles will no longer be blocking sightlines on the actual intersection.
The project has gone out to tender with tenders closing March 28. Yeo expects work will begin in May with the goal of having traffic moving through the roundabout before July 1.
