There will not be a new traffic light signals when safety improvements are made to a crash-prone highway intersection near Vernon.
Instead, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will make design changes to the Stickle Road intersection just north of the city.
In a news release, minister Todd Stone said the decision follows a third-party safety study and extensive community engagement.
“Given that many of the comments we received indicated a preference for a traffic signal to be installed, the ministry asked an independent road safety expert to compare the ministry’s design with a traffic signal,” said Stone.
“While both improvement options were considered, the report concluded that a traffic signal is not supported as it would further increase the risk of rear-end collisions and delay traffic.”
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The report found light signals at the intersection could reduce overall crashes by five per cent but rear-end collisions could increase substantially.
The ministry says its chosen “restricted movement configurations” could lower total crash numbers by 20 per cent.
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The safety improvements at the intersection include extending left turn lanes, installing acceleration and deceleration lanes and removing the left turn onto the highway.
A new road will also be built to connect the south end of the Stickle Frontage Road to 20th Street in Vernon.
The estimated cost of the project is $9.5 million while traffic signal improvements would cost about $7.8 million.
Detailed design work is underway and the ministry expects to tender the project early next year.
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