Major traffic changes suggested in Moose Jaw master plan

MOOSE JAW — Ninth Avenue Northwest is a major thoroughfare stretching from Highway 1 to South Hill, and the new transportation master plan (TMP) recommends that the city reduce the number of lanes for safer driving.

The road is an important north-south arterial corridor that serves as one of three existing crossings over the Canadian Pacific Kansas City mainline and train yard that unifies the city, while it should remain an important commuter link in the community, the new document says.

However, the “predominant issue” that the new TMP identifies is that traffic weaves between the lanes to avoid other vehicles turning left, a problem that stakeholders — including emergency personnel — raised in person and online when consultant KGS Group was collecting feedback, the report continued.

KGS’s main recommendation for this roadway is that city hall convert a section between High Street West and Caribou Street West from four lanes to a three-lane cross-section. This section would have a centre two-way left-turn lane, while the outside lanes would operate for through traffic and right turns.

“This results in greater organization of traffic and less weaving due to periodic traffic turning left onto residential streets,” the report said.

KGS’s modelling indicates that the road would operate more efficiently with this cross-section and would allow proper room for the city to construct sidewalks on the east side of Ninth Avenue Northwest, the document continued. If an emergency incident were to occur, emergency vehicles could use the centre lane to bypass vehicles in the right-hand lane during peak periods and heavy traffic volumes.

The TMP added that extending the three-lane cross-section as far north as Simcoe Street near the skate park could have merit, while the city should review that idea in further detail and proceed with a detailed design to change Ninth Avenue Northwest.

Other recommendations from the TMP include upgrading four locations along Thatcher Drive to make it easier for motorists to navigate and better protect pedestrians.

City council received the document during its June 24 regular meeting. Bruce Belmore and Destiny Piper from consulting firm KGS Group gave a comprehensive overview of the new TMP since their firm worked with city hall to develop the document.

It cost the city $250,000 to have KGS create the new TMP.

The next regular council meeting is Monday, July 8.