Lethbridge – Last year, 80 people were killed and more than 8,000 injured in collisions at intersections in Alberta. It’s not only busy urban intersections that can be dangerous – rural intersections can be just as deadly. The County of Lethbridge is taking a major step in addressing one of those intersections. Signal lights are planned for the intersection of Highway 3 and Broxburn Road after Alberta Transportation deemed it unsafe.
“Because of the increase traffic on Highway 3 and the full development of Broxburn Business Park, we completed a traffic assessment . That assessment warranted traffic lights at that intersection,” says Rick Robinson, CAO of the County of Lethbridge.
Highway 3 connects Lethbridge and Coaldale. Kim Craig, the Mayor of Coaldale, says the light signals also disrupt the flow of traffic, leading to delays and more crashes as fast-moving vehicles encounter vehicles that have been slowed down by a red light.
“We are hopeful we can work with the County to lobby the government for a different solution, a more comprehensive solution that would leave Highway 3 alone and leave it as an economic corridor where people can move efficiently. We are not convinced a traffic light is safe,” explains Craig.
The County of Lethbridge says Broxburn development is growing quickly, and moving heavy farm machinery through the intersection is dangerous.
“Once it becomes a safety issue, something has to be done . It either has to be traffic signals or overpasses and in this case, it will be traffic signals,” adds Robison.
The lights will be up as soon as next year and while the county says it will be a disruption to motorists, it ultimately believes the lights will save lives.
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