(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

step by step

New option on the table for Molly Banister alignment’s Piper Creek crossing

Jul 20, 2021 | 1:01 PM

Two options are now on the table for a potential future crossing over Piper Creek in Red Deer’s Bower area.

City council passed first reading on Monday to allow for an additional option for what is part of the Molly Banister Drive project.

Developer Melcor proposed to the City in May for two additional options, and a total of three, but council approved administration’s recommendation of just one new option.

Council voted in Oct. 2020 to keep the Molly Banister Drive road alignment in the Municipal Development Plan, thus keeping the roadway over Piper Creek an option to accomodate future traffic in the southeast.

“The first proposed change is one additional crossing option at Bennett Street, in addition to the existing Molly Banister Drive option. Both options would be listed in the MDP and East Hill MASP, but only one could developed in the future,” a release from The City explains. “Selection would incorporate public feedback during development of a neighbourhood area structure plan.”

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The second change would reduce the road classification from an arterial roadway to a four-lane collector roadway, the latter requiring less space, thereby lowering the environmental impact but still able to handle traffic volumes.

If the roadway is required in the future, current population projections, notes The City, suggest it could be built in 20 to 30 years, or once Red Deer reaches a population of 188,000.

Members of the public who feel they are impacted by the proposed bylaw amendment are invited to provide their feedback at a public hearing on August 30. Details will be posted on The City’s website at www.reddeer.ca/publichearings.

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