By Dan Hermanutz

safety concerns

Town of Blackfalds seeks pedestrian overpass for Hwy 2A

Feb 20, 2020 | 2:24 PM

Blackfalds is a community split down the middle by Highway 2A, which sees around 25,000 vehicles travel it each day. Many residents cross the busy road daily to get to work, go shopping, or just to go home.

Town officials have been advocating for a pedestrian overpass across the highway to improve the safety of crossing residents.

CAO Myron Thompson says the issue has been on council’s agenda for years.

“The overpass has been recognized as a need because, like many communities, we have a highway that splits our community. Lots of residential growth has happened on the east side of our community while a lot of facilities are on the west side. So (from) a safety perspective, we see that a pedestrian overpass would be key in improving the safety,” said Thompson.

Thompson and members of town council have met with Alberta Transportation Minister Ric McIver in Edmonton to outline a number of concerns, one of them being the desire for a pedestrian overpass over Highway 2A. The town has also asked the province about another access to Highway 2.

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In a letter to Blackfalds Mayor Richard Poole dated Jan. 15, McIver encouraged town officials to discuss their ideas with Transportation department staff.

A study was done a number of years ago outlining the upgrades needed on the highway to keep it as safe as possible. The timeline for these upgrades came and went with none of them being addressed, Thompson says.

“The Highway 2A pavement surface itself (has) a lot of potholes and issues and the surrounding maintenance of that. There are a lot of signs that have been knocked down and not replaced, and (we’ve asked) that portable signage be put up on the highway right away,” said Thompson.

McIver’s letter also said the province had reduced some routine summer maintenance activities such as pavement patching and repairs, as well as non-essential sign replacements.

“We always remain hopeful that we will be included is some of those capital items of the budget, I’m not sure if that will be the case but first and foremost we hope to see some improved maintenance done on both 597 and 2A,” Thompson shared.

Another concern of the town’s is at the roundabout at the intersection of highways 2A and 597 where overgrown vegetation is giving it a shabby look.

“As you enter into our community, it isn’t a good first indication into what our community is about when you have waist high weed growth so we hope that can be remedied this spring,” Thompson explained.

The town hopes their request for a pedestrian overpass will be addressed in the upcoming provincial budget on Feb. 27.