The installation of Peterborough’s very first roundabout will be in the area of Parkhill Road West, between Brealey Drive and Ackison Road.
It’s all part of a three-phase project that will see the reconstruction, widening, and urbanization of Parkhill Road West.
City Councillor Don Vassiliadis says it’s a project that’s long overdue.
“This particular intersection doesn’t really line up properly. It seemed very ideal to put it in this area, instead of trying to line up the roads of Ackison and Brealey,” said Vassiliadis.
“This just seemed to be a good idea.”
With traffic often backed up in the area, Vassiliadis says, the roundabout will help ease congestion.
“The Idea of roundabouts is to keep the traffic flowing at all times and that’s what it will do in this case,” said Vassiliadis.
In the next year on Parkhill Road West, you can also expect to see multi-use sidewalks and a better line of sight, as there are plans to lower the crest of the hill.
“The first phase will be up where Ravenwood is, and it will take down the hill that we have on Parkhill Road by 20 feet, it will increase the site lines for Chandler Crescent,” said Vassiliadis.
“We’ll have sidewalks and we’ll have multi-use paths, so what that means for active transportation is that you can walk on the sidewalk safely and ride your bike safely.”
The roundabout is expected to be complete by the fall of 2020.
“The cars coming across from Parkhill were always going at a pretty good rate of speed, so I think it will stop some accidents and will make it clear who has the right of way, I guess,” said Ken McRae, who used to live in the area.
Construction on Parkhill Road is expected to begin on Tuesday, July 2. In the meantime, Vassiliadis says the city will do its best to mitigate any traffic issues while the project is underway.
WATCH: Council votes for a final time on 2020 tax increase