Two ways about it: Block of downtown Fredericton street adopts two-way traffic

One block of Queen Street in Fredericton will soon see two-way traffic bustling along in the high traffic area.

Queen Street — from Regent Street to St. John Street — will see traffic flow from the east and west, while the remainder of the vital downtown roadway will stay the same.

“It came out of a 2008 traffic study as part of the redevelopment of this block,” said Jon Lewis, a traffic engineer with the City of Fredericton.

“It was a recommendation basically to improve traffic flow and also safety in the area.”

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The change is expected to come into effect once construction of a new hotel is complete, adding to the area that presently houses the Crown Plaza, Fredericton Playhouse, the Convention Centre and a parking garage.

“What it does is it allows traffic coming from the north side, for example, a much more direct route,” Lewis said.

“It allows them basically to skip having to go around the block, going through the Regent-King intersection.”

Congestion at that intersection is a contributing factor in the decision as left-turning vehicles and pedestrians are frequently competing for access onto King Street.

“This is a way to help pull a lot of that left-turning traffic out of that intersection where we’re able to more safely and efficiently handle it at Regent and Queen,” said Lewis.

“No question it provides traffic benefits there, but more importantly it provides safety benefits.”

The changes are expected to come into effect by the end of next year.