CALGARY- Southeast commuters are upset about a portion of the newly-opened ring road, saying a barricade is leading to traffic jams.
While the southeast ring road is still not fully open, the off-ramp from westbound Stoney Trail onto southbound Deerfoot Trail is. However, there is no access to Seton, Cranston and the South Health Campus, because the lane steers drivers right past the exit.
“There’s a lot of land space there, and it just doesn’t seem right,” complains Michelle Kinghorn, who lives in Cranston. “There’s got to be a better way.”
Drivers are now being forced to cut through other neighbourhoods to get to the hospital or Cranston, which is causing traffic backups.
Alberta’s transportation minister says the permanent barricade between the lanes was designed for safety.
“We want safe turn movements, and if they’re going to be at freeway speeds it requires certain distances and curvatures, which can’t be achieved with the spacing between the entrances to those communities and Deerfoot Trail,” says Ric McIver.
The southeast ring road is a $763 million project.
Comments