If everything goes as planned, the Regina Bypass will officially open by the end of October. But drivers in Regina’s northwest are seemingly frustrated and taking to the city’s website to voice concerns about permanent changes being made at the intersection of 9th Avenue North and Pinkie Road.
Once construction is complete, drivers heading north and south on Pinkie Road and east on 9th Avenue North will not be allowed to turn left. Left turns will only be allowed for drivers heading west on 9th Avenue North to access Pinkie Road southbound.
Drivers will also not be allowed to go straight through the intersection on Pinkie Road.
According to a spokesperson with the Ministry of Highways, safety concerns were identified following a review by an independent safety officer in 2016, who deemed the intersection too close to the bypass.
“When we looked at this intersection, part of the contract for the Regina Bypass said there needed to be an audit done by an independent road safety auditor to look at the overall performance of the bypass,” said David Horth, assistant director of communications at the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure.
“It identified the intersection of 9th Avenue North and Pinkie road as a particular concern.”
Being about a kilometre away, Horth says the concern is having people come off the bypass at highway speeds into a city zone, where the speeds are considerably lower.
As a result, the province worked closely with city officials to come up with a solution, one that’s going to take six weeks to complete.
“We looked at this intersection probably more closely than we looked at many intersections,” Horth said.
WATCH: (July 31, 2019) Countdown begins on Regina bypass completion
During the process, the province says a neighbouring farm was consulted, along with a number of home developers. But because the intersection falls under the city of Regina’s jurisdiction, the province adds it left it up to them to consult with Regina residents, something the city says it didn’t do.
The City of Regina offered the following statement:
Changes were made in order to meet Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure requirements and ensure the safety of motorists using the Regina Bypass.
The City must alter the intersection of 9th Avenue North and Pinkie Road in order to meet Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure requirements and ensure the safety of motorists using the Regina Bypass.
The intersection of 9th Avenue North and Pinkie Road will be closed to traffic starting September 4 for approximately six weeks to construct the altered intersection. During this time, traffic will be detoured down Fairway Road and Sherwood Drive.
This work is being done as part of the Provincial Bypass Project which will provide an alternate route for drivers. A map can be found at Regina.ca. To see how this connects to the Bypass or more information visit Regina Bypass
The province says it did consider other options such as a traffic light or roundabout, but ultimately there just isn’t enough space for traffic to transition from high speeds.
The city also adds that there will be no impacts to the existing Edgewater development or on the future Coopertown neighbourhood plan, which was recently updated to reflect the changes to the road network.