The new Gregg Street to Broadway Avenue/Womacks Road rail crossing. (Town of Blackfalds)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

reconfiguration of area

Realignment project in Blackfalds nearing full completion

Aug 25, 2022 | 4:25 PM

A $6 million realignment project in Blackfalds is roughly two months from full completion.

Town officials say the major part of the Womacks Road and Gregg Street realignment is complete, with a new road connecting the two recently finished.

Meantime, $175,000 is earmarked for the soon to be upgraded intersection at Hwy 2A and Gregg Street.

Preston Weran, Director of Infrastructure and Property Services, says the project will improve the town’s east-west connectivity.

“Broadway from Womacks Road to Waghorn Street is being removed, and the new crossing is now occurring east of the existing Broadway extension,” explains Weran.

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“What we’re doing at 2A is reconfiguring the lanes so they’re more parallel to each other, and adding a dedicated left-hand turn lane both eastbound and westbound, as well as a dedicated left-hand turn signal.”

Weran says there’s about a seven-week wait for some parts to come for the intersection improvements.

In the meantime, fencing and landscaping clean-up will be happening on the stretch of Gregg Street from Hwy 2A to Broadway.

Canadian Pacific Railway crews are also to return in order to relocate the existing pedestrian crosswalk at Broadway.

Mayor Jamie Hoover says the less than ideal east-west transportation was identified many years ago.

(Town of Blackfalds)

“Over the last several months, council has looked at how that alignment ties into the 2A intersection, and there’s long been a concern about pedestrian crossing in that area,” says Hoover. “There’ll also be new sidewalks, and we are confident that once that’s complete, there will be significantly better access and transportation for both vehicles and pedestrians as we grow more and the need for it becomes more obvious.”

Meantime, where Broadway Avenue is being permanently closed, the Town is expanding the Eagle Builders Centre parking lot by about 60 stalls.

A future community plaza near the arena was meant to be part of this project, but a lack of interest when the Request for Proposal went out has delayed it temporarily.

The Town is asking residents and visitors to be aware that there may be sporadic traffic disruptions in the area over the next several weeks as the project is completed.