A Rocky Mountain House area resident has officially started a petition for the Province to have a two lane traffic circle installed north of town.
Jenna Verhaeghe, who has lived in the area for more than 16 years, has expressed frustration at the intersection of Hwy. 11 and Hwy. 22, especially when it comes to making a difficult left-hand turn during her near-daily commute into Rocky.
With the increasing trucking, logging and tourist traffic, says Verhaeghe, navigating the intersection is becoming more and more of a hazard.
Currently, motorists turning left onto Hwy. 11 must immediately enter the left lane, which Verhaeghe says also serves as a passing lane for traffic coming into town from from the west, thus creating a hazardous situation.
Verhaeghe says she has heard back from Stuart Richardson, Infrastructure Manager with Alberta Transportation who says he is aware of the hazards at that particular intersection.
Verhaeghe says Richardson told her the department is looking at improving the intersection, although with a less costly solution than a roundabout.
Drawing by of Hwy 11. & Hwy 22. intersection north of Rocky Mountain House. (Photo by Jenna Verhaeghe/Facebook)
In an e-mailed statement to 94.5 Rewind Radio News, a department spokesperson from the office of the Minister of Transportation & Economic Corridors says it is indeed looking at improvements to the intersection.
According to the statement, the proposed solution would not be a traffic circle, but instead an acceleration lane.
Enabling access to Hwy 11. from an acceleration lane instead of the straight flow lane will ease congestion and improve traffic flow at this location.
- A left turn acceleration lane functions a bit differently than the current left turn movement.
- It would enable traffic turning left to safely turn into the lane before merging with Highway 11 traffic.
The statement says an operational review of the intersection was completed in 2023 recommending the installation of a left turn acceleration lane to mitigate sight line issues from vehicles queuing in the Hwy 11 to 22 left hand turn lane.
Improvements to the intersection could begin as early as the 2024 construction season, the statement reads.
Verhaeghe admits getting a traffic circle seems like a long shot at this time, but adds she would be happy to see improvements of any kind to the intersection. Ultimately, she says she is glad awareness is being raised about driving difficulties in the area and still hopes for as many signatures as possible.
Verhaeghe also included concerns about a lack of line painting at the intersection and is asking the Government to refresh the paint every spring.
You can find the petition here.
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