WINNIPEG — Residents in the West End say a construction project has turned their street into an accident waiting to happen.
The closure of Ness Ave. and Silver Ave. east bound from Hamilton Ave. has many drivers using Valley View Dr. as a detour.
“Indy 500. Pretty much every day it’s like that, I’ve actually had cars pass me on this street with my kids inside the car,” said Sylvio Fava, who lives on Valley View.
He doesn’t allow his three young children to play in the front yard anymore.
“I don’t even let my dogs out, there’s no way I would do that, there’s absolutely no way. It’s ridiculous,” he said.
The high volume of traffic began when Ness was closed over the Sturgeon Creek for a bridge replacement.
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Construction on a roundabout at Silver Ave. and Sturgeon Rd. has added to the problem, since drivers are turning onto Valley View from Hamilton.
“They’re driving like they’re on Ness Avenue or Portage Avenue and this is just a residential street…People are scared to walk, kids won’t ride their bikes out here,” said Paul Zubec, who also lives on Valley View.
There are detour signs as you drive towards the area but drivers are not obligated to follow them.
A sign at the north end of Valley View does limit traffic between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. but residents say traffic volumes on the street during the afternoon rush hour is especially bad.
“We have people biking, there’s elderly walking, people walk their pets all the time and it’s dangerous because people don’t slow down. People don’t live on this street, they’re just cutting through so they don’t care,” said Tim Short.
The city councillor for the area Shawn Dobson said he tried to get temporary speed bumps and a stop sign installed on Valley View but the city’s traffic services department said neither was possible.
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He said he hopes that when the section of Ness directly in front of Valley View is closed for construction next month, it will mean fewer vehicles on the street.
The Ness bridge replacement is scheduled to be completed by October and the roundabout at Sliver and Sturgeon should be done in about a month.