Changes are being proposed for one of Charlottetown’s more confusing intersections.
At a meeting of the city’s standing committee on public works and urban beautification on Wednesday, members discussed making alterations to the intersection that connects Longworth Avenue with Euston Street and Weymouth Street.
Over the years, the intersection has become dubbed the "Ken’s Corner" intersection, named after the convenience store which used to occupy the property at the corner of Euston and Weymouth streets. It is now occupied by Sobeys Express and Petro-Canada.
The public works department is proposing changes that are designed to make traffic flow better and remove the danger factor, especially for traffic coming down Longworth Avenue that heads towards the downtown.
While traffic is required to stop at a flashing red light, motorists are forced to do a shoulder check to see if anything is coming up Euston Street while also keeping an eye on vehicles turning left onto Euston Street from Weymouth and for pedestrians crossing Euston Street — all at the same time.
“It is a very confusing intersection,’’ said Scott Adams, manager of the public works department. “From a traffic safety standpoint, it is very concerning.’’
Adams said he has personally witnessed out-of-province motorists getting to the intersection and not knowing what to do.
The proposed changes include eliminating the left-turning lanes at Weymouth and Euston streets and Euston-Weymouth streets; making Euston Street a right-turn-only lane onto Longworth Avenue and making the lane coming down Longworth Avenue into town a through-lane where motorists will no longer have stop at the flashing red light.
The public works department is also proposing the installation of three mountable islands to prevent left turns and for pedestrians. They would be placed at the three corners of the intersection and be designed so that 53-foot tractor trailers can still make safe turns. This is in consideration of the ADL dairy plant that is located near the intersection.
Adams said the city had considered other options, such as realigning the intersection and transforming it into a roundabout. However, the municipality has very little right-of-way to work with and it would have forced the city to buy a significant amount of land at the corner so those options were dismissed.
The committee was told it will take about $1 million to make the necessary changes.
Members of the committee were in favour of moving forward which means the public works department will now engage with some of the businesses affected, such as A1-Vacuum, Sobeys, Petro-Canada and ADL.
There is a chance these changes could take place next year as part of the city’s capital budget but that will depend on what council wants to do and what other projects might be considered priorities.
Twitter: @DveStewart
