Hwy 16 Upgrades To Include Traffic Signals at Blackwater /Sykes Intersection
Conceptual design of intersection of Blackwater/Sykes Road and Highway 16 – image courtesy Ministry of Transportation
Prince George, B.C.- A steady stream of interested folks attended the Ministry of Transportation’s open house yesterday to get details on the concept design for an upgrade to Highway 16 between Bunce and Blackwater Roads.Ron Marshall, is the District Manager for Fort George District, Ministry of Transportation and says the conceptual design being examined calls for some significant changes to the 3.4 kilometre stretch “The design that’s here now, that’s put forward is based on numbers of vehicles, warrants and safety so the design is meant to be as safe as it can, so certain roads, like Buckingham, they’re going to change that into a frontage that goes back to Blackwater so there’s safer access for the public.”
Currently Buckingham intersects with the highway, but that would be eliminated under the conceptual plan.
Other changes would see the section of highway from Bunce to the Blackwater Road, four laned, a concrete median installed to separate east and west bound traffic, improvements to the intersection at Haldi Road, and an improved intersection with traffic signal lights at the Blackwater/Sykes Road intersection with Highway 16.
He says there will be a need to acquire some property along the stretch “We’re early in the project, and we have a properties group who have made contact with folks all long the area. The conceptual design shows what property needs there are and those needs will be worked through over the next year with folks to deal with that. We try to make sure we come to some sort of mutual agreement.”
The speed allowed on the new stretch will be “the same as all the four lanes that we have” says Marshall .
Controlling speeders is up to law enforcement, but someone wanted to send a message to the Ministry of Transportation folks about the dangers of the intersection at Kimball Rd 
“Speed is something we don’t have a lot of control over” says Marshall “We engineer the best we can, but at the end of the day the speed it (the new stretch) will be on will be consistent with the corridor and will have been engineered and reviewed by our traffic folks to ensure it is safe.”
The project is expected to cost about $21 million dollars with a projected construction start in 2017, and completion in 2018.
Comments
Why on earth do they need lights at the blackwater, that is not a busy intersection at all. The truck drivers just had a set of lights at the Gauthier Rd intersection, and it’s a long incline from there all the way past the hill…. so now they will just be running an unnecessary light at the Blackwater.
Who is that light going to help? There is no congestion at that intersection, there never has been.
In regards to the sign that was posted to lower the speed to 60….that makes absolutely no sense. The intersection at Kimball and hwy 16 needs a traffic light period.
Back to the article, having a light at Blackwater makes no sense, there is a lot of traffic going onto and off of Blackwater however the light would not assist that traffic much. As for the traffic coming of of Sykes, in all the years I have been living out west there has been very little traffic coming from that area, and I think that the four leaning in both directions will help with the line up of traffic coming from the west.
The Bon Voyage intersection has way more accidents than any other.
Change the speed limit to 70km/hr from Walmart all the way to Jensen. Slow down that traffic. Start a campaign with speeding tickets. I try to do the speed limit in and from work, I get fingered for doing the speed limit.
My only solace to this is, once in a while the RCMP has a speed trap over at the overpass.
From the bottom of Peden hill, than it will be six traffic lights. That’s really not that bad. I think they need to work on the frontage roads and start using them from not having anymore new intersection.
As was brought up yesterday this does not help the traffic from Mud River stuck behind chip/logging trucks crawling 60 kmph. By the time they get to the blackwater they are more and less up to speed. I also agree the traffic light is not needed.
Hopefully the continued four landing of this stretch happens in a timely manner. Not positive but the highway right of way seems to widen after the black water so there may be less property to acquire.
Look at all the traffic engineers we have in Prince George!
Its amazing that we have this kind of expertise available with nothing better to do than give their expertise away for free on news 250!
It never ceases to amaze me how Prince George and residents get short changed when it comes to real highway development organized by the province. We are getting a 20th Century solution for a 21st Century problem.
I applaud the Ministry and it’s staff for attempting to design and include us in the intersection development but what is not being relayed to the province…we need overpasses in this city. This project is long overdue. As the so called “Gateway” in the transport of goods from the Prince Rupert port we are not demanding the level of development that is needed to keep users of the Highway 16 corridor safe.
ICBC and Insurer’s take notice…accidents will continue to escalate, your risk tolerance will diminish and ALL our insurance rates will increase to offset this increased level of risk. I understand our resources are stretched but what we all don’t want to admit is that, sometimes it’s best to take the bull by the horns and do what’s right. Looking over a period of 100 years the reduced costs linked to the number of accidents, personal injury and life insurance claims will offset the increased costs in getting overpasses built in this city.
Access is the major concern for the Blackwater and Kimball intersections. Why isn’t there a plan that takes into account the INCREASE in traffic that is currently occurring? Is there anyone else interested in getting PG provincial roadways up to 21st Century standards?
Hey, you people who are barking at the traffic lights proposed for Blackwater/Sykes intersection. Those lights are needed for those trying to access Highway 16 from the NW side and heading into town, particularly during the morning rush to get to work, or any other time of the day (except for probably 10 pm to 5 am). Add this to the additional traffic that will use this intersection coming from a rerouted Buckingham road that includes both residential and industrial traffic. They are playing Russian roulette, folks – not a pleasant activity.
I know, I have lived here for 37 years, next months – though on the SW side of the intersection.
My complaint about the plan is the lack of extending it (at least) to Hartmann Road or perhaps as far as the Beaverly Firehall. I am totally baffled that it does not go as far as Western Acres.
but I thought traffic circles were so much better than intersections ?
Still no lights at Kimball, believable. Maybe Marshall can tell us the number of injuries are needed before lights go in? That is a very busy intersection. Maybe someone has it in for the businesses around there.
There is not one single traffic light from Hope BC to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. Why are we installing traffic lights everywhere? This is ridiculous and backwards.
“There is not one single traffic light from Hope BC to the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal”
They have overpasses and on-ramps. I don’t think we’re going to get those.
Traffic Circles on a roadway with a speed limit of 80KMH – with many drivers under some impression that 80 KPH is the minimum!?! Ridiculous!
Besides, our roadway engineers, let alone the coffee table engineers, have absolutely no idea about appropriate size for traffic circles AND we have a long ways to go in developing a Traffic Circle Culture (and understanding).
Traffic circles are used on main highways in Australia. Speed is reduced approaching the circle, works very well. Also traffic circles eliminate broadside crashes.
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