Hwy 16 -Cowart Intersection Under Review
Prince George, B.C.- The Ministry of Transportation has confirmed the intersection of Highway 16 and Cowart/Vance Roads is under review.
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond requested the Ministry take a close look at the intersection following a crash last Friday which claimed the life of a 15 year old girl and sent two others to hospital.
In a statement to 250News, Minister of Transportation, Todd Stone says the work is underway “My ministry is currently initiating an engineering review of this intersection and I’m looking forward to seeing those results and finding a way to make this intersection safer.”
Minister Stone says recommendations from that engineering review should be available by as soon as the end of this week. “Following these recommendations we intend to see how we can improve safety in the short term” adds the Minister.
He says the Ministry of Transportation is already in preliminary planning phases for a long term solution to this intersection, with design work starting in 2017.
The intersection is listed as being the 5th worst in Prince George for crashes from 2009 to the end of 2013.
Comments
What , you’re not going to wait for a higher body count ? You have no idea as to how us parents who’s children died by lowest bidders feel . This little girls death should haunt you as horibliby as it will her parents till the day they die .
Under review ?, come on just send a crew over and make the changes to the turn signal. There is absolutely nothing to review. It should have been done yesterday if not years ago.
I think we should keep in mind that the North Central Interior is not uppermost in the minds of the Provincial Government. Seems most of what they do is reactive as opposed to proactive.
I sincerely doubt that we are taken very seriously by those in Victoria, when it comes to our wants and needs.
An example would be the women who was protesting outside the PG Regional Hospital, about waiting over 2 years for a knee operation, and may now have to wait another year. This of course is unacceptable, however seems those in the big chairs, with the big salaries, in Victoria, either don’t care, or are not able to deal with real problems.
But they are very serious about collecting every last dollar of the taxes that come from us and all the industry here! In fact without those taxes they would be up the proverbial creek without a paddle!
Build an overpass on 16 with access roads onto and off the freeway, sorry highway, there is the room, does not have to be a clover leaf type.
Hey Walmart got an underpass.
Roundabout at the bottom of the hill I don’t think would be a good idea and maybe not enough room at that location for a proper one.
Aw, c’mon, a four lane roundabout bottom of Peden Hill for us PG drivers, would be very interesting……..
Some drivers entering into the hospital main parking lot and the parking lot at the cancer clinic still do not keep to the right in the circle but keep left and block the traffic flow! Kind of pathetic!
I’ve been saying for years we should have an overpass at the bottom of Peden Hill. I have suggested using the city golf course as a staging area and in turn have the golf course remade with privacy berms and ponds using any left over materials. Now is the time to do it with the MrG building gone.
One thing most don’t consider with the accident stats is they don’t reflect the far reaching danger that intersection has to trucks on the hill spun out or braking down hill hazard potential that far exceeds any hazard potential in the other high risk intersections.
Also what happens when the city approved Fraser Bench subdivision comes on line in the next couple of years with 5500 new residents using that crossing daily. Another ten thousand crossings daily for an already over burdened intersection.
Also there is absolutely no need for people using that intersection to cross from Cowart Rd across to Vance Road. It should be banned seeing as the Costco turn lane at the Husky and Honda intersection is far better equipped and much safer for all involved.
Why do people east bound even need to make left turns at Vance Road with the Costco turn lane only two blocks up the road? It’s horrible traffic design IMO.
Well now, if they are going to build an overpass there, they should complete the Ospika connection to Hwy 16 first, other wise there is going to be horrific traffic on Westwood and surrounding streets again with construction delays.
There are some intersections along there which will become much more accident prone as a result.
Quick fix, no left turns on to Vance or onto Coward, done.
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