Kingston adding more turning lanes to John Counter Boulevard, Montreal Street intersection

It’s not an uncommon sight to see vehicles backed up for about a kilometre at the intersection of John Counter Boulevard and Montreal Street.

Cars coming from downtown, across the Waaban Crossing, down from Highway 401 and across John Counter Boulevard, often converge at one of the busiest intersections in the city. During peak times in the morning and early evening, it can lead to quite a traffic snarl.

“Most of the time you see it backed up all the way past the old train station. That’s a long way,” says Kingston resident Patrick Lunn. “I come this way, coming from Briceland Street where I live, and it’s backed up and you can’t get by.”

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“Oh rush hour, it’s very tight. Every direction, it’s going which way,” adds Kingston resident Jed Subratte. “I drive a school bus. Any larger vehicles making any of those turns is really tight, of course. Trying to get around any of the cars in the intersection, everyone is in a hurry, so nobody wants to give anyone else the right of way.”

Even before the Waaban Crossing was built, traffic would get backed up at Montreal and John Counter. And now factoring in bridge traffic, the city had to make some adjustments.

“We’ve made some signal timings, right when the bridge first opened, just about a year ago now, to try and alleviate some of those prime time challenges you’re seeing and experiencing,” says the city’s director of engineering Luke Follwell.

But signal timing changes aren’t enough. With traffic still getting backed up, the city is looking to make some adjustments at the intersection to help the flow of traffic.

“We’re looking at increasing turning lanes and through lanes on all four legs of the intersection,” says Follwell. “Right now, they’re limited to two lanes, essentially, with various movements permitted. The designs we’ve got up right now allow for a right turn, left turn and through lane.”

Construction on the intersection is slated to begin in the spring, and maybe by the time the project is done, it could allow for better commutes for Kingston drivers.