Highway 16 Intersection Projects Continue
Prince George, B.C.- It should be just a couple more weeks before improvements to one of two intersections with Highway 16 in Prince George are complete.
Ministry of Transportation the installation of components to create a dedicated left turn signal for the Highway 16/Vance/Cowart should be completed by mid August.
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond says “Concrete bases have been installed and the preliminary field work has been done. The assembly of the signal heads and poles is underway with expected installation in the next two weeks.”
Design work for improvements to the Highway 16/Ferry Avenue intersection is complete and upgrades to that intersection are expected to be done in September.
The Highway 16 corridor through Prince George handles heavy traffic volume and talks continue between the Ministry of Transportation and the City of Prince George for further improvements to that corridor. The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and the City of Prince George are gathering information on current traffic volumes, traffic movements, as well as other details which will help map out further improvements along this corridor.
There are four major intersections along the corridor which are routinely noted as being among the worst in the City when it comes to crashes:
- Highway 16 and 97,
- Highway 16 and Ferry
- Highway 16 /Cowart/Vance
- Highway 16 and Domano/Tyner
Between 2009 and 2013, (the latest year for which statistics are available), those four intersections accounted for a total of 720 crashes, and 275 of those crashes resulted in someone being injured.
Meantime, the City of Prince George continues it’s work to improve the intersection of Ospika and Ferry Avenues.
( at right, painted poles for traffic lights will be replaced – photo 250News)
The City’s capital plan calls for just under $200 thousand dollars worth of work to install traffic lights at that intersection. The intersection was set up years ago for the eventual installation of signals, but will require some upgrades. The existing poles will likely be changed to more modern galvanized poles. The ducting at the site is believed to be suitable for the installation of traffic signals. While the installation of the lights is not scheduled until 2017, it is possible the work could start this fall and at the very latest, early 2017.
That intersection will then be monitored for traffic volume using the left turn lane from Ferry on to Ospika, and the left turn lane from Ospika on to Ferry to see if the left turn slots are long enough. It is possible some adjustments to the left turn lane slots will have to be made to accommodate increased left turn traffic.
Comments
Lengthen the turn lane tme now please. No need for accidents while things are being studied, letting 4 cars through on average is not long enough. Adjust the pressure pads or whatever you have to do to clear the turn lane.
Not ferry and ospika I am referring to the ones slated for work ferry and highway 16, those turning to Superstore. At the height of our “rush hour” letting a couple through per light is not enough, once the dedicated light is set up will be even worse
From what I understand, the dedicated turn light will be set up to reflect the volume of traffic, peak times, etc. and stay green longer to clear that traffic.
It might take a bit of tweaking, but anything will be better than it is now. I travel a different route just to avoid turning there at peak times; it’s just not worth the risk.
The Highway 16 corridor through Prince George handles heavy traffic volume and talks continue between the Ministry of Transportation
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You people don’t know what heavy traffic is. You just need to learn how to drive.
Cheers
Retired 02, obviously you didn’t bother to read the ICBC accident statistics that I posted for you some time ago, the one’s that showed that Abbotsford, on a per capita basis had more accidents than Prince George!
Cheers!
Your reading between the lines hart guy like always. We have lived in Abbotsford four years and I have never seen an accident in the City limits..
Yes out on #1 but they may been caused be PG drivers.
Cheers
Retired 02, perhaps the accidents out on #1 are being caused by the many retired folks in Abby who no longer have the reflexes to safely drive at Hwy #1 speeds?
I don’t live in and wouldn’t want to live in Abby! Frankly, I couldn’t care less what happens there as I usually drive through non-stop!
You don’t live here in PG and yet you seem to be an expert on what we should or shouldn’t be doing here. Why so much interest in what we do or don’t do here?
R02 So there are no accidents in the city of abbotsford just because you have never seen one in the four years your have lived there. Next you are going to say there are no shootings in that gang infested patch of the valley because you have not seen any, despite the fact they happen quite often. DUCK!
Maybe HG can repost the link and if you drill down in the ICBC stats it will likely tell you which intersections in town are the worst.
I hope that r02 is not one of those people who worked most of their working years in Prince George, made good money and a pension that enabled them to move away to another town! Then, why dump continuously on Prince George? Wouldn’t that be a bit ungrateful and hypocritical?
What I have said before you need to fire the contractor that services the traffic signals. The timing is wrong. Get rid of the cameras that control traffic flow. You had loops in the pavement that counted the traffic and controlled traffic flow. They have been replaced by the cameras which create the traffic accidents because of poor timing.
Abbotsford uses loops for all their traffic controls where there is enough time to make a left affter the trough traffic has gone on if you happen to be to late for the left turn signal..
Where the traffic is heavey we have two loops for a left turn signal so if there are only two cars for a left turn the left turn signal does not come on and you have to turn after the through traffic has cleared the intersection. Good luck.
Cheers
The cameras can do everthing that the loops do with the added benefit that you don’t have to dig up the road if there is a problem like a broken wire. Just because you changed a traffic signal light bulb does not make you an expert on traffic control. Would be like saying a chambermaid knows how to run a hotel.
These intersections are being changed to a dedicated turn signal, the only time you can turn is on the green arrow. You will not be able to turn on a break in the through traffic as there will be a red light for right turns.
Even though these are stop gap measure as the ministry and the city work on long range improvements for when the Malispina connector is put in I think the problem will move to having rear end collisions as turning traffic backs up into the through lanes. As stated above if only 4 or 5 cars get through during busy times it will not take long before thay are backed up into through traffic. Problem is you cannot extend the turn signal too much without affecting hwy16 where a majority of the volume is, 2 or 3 light backups would be normal. The Ferry intersection could accommodate a dual turn lane but Range road/Cowart could not.
Dealing with lower mainland traffic a dozen or so times a year is enough to make the commute here a breeze.
I agree! Try driving in Kelowna and West Kelowna! Nothing but traffic jams and a lack of left turn signals in some of the most important and busy intersections! Prince George traffic is very smooth and easy compared to that!
Well it looks like the sad old coot in abby is drinking again. Worst yet still no hobby, very very sad. Head outside and take nice big long slow breaths of that beautiful air :) and think of what you could be doing for your community there with all the free time you have instead of bashing this one and its citizens.
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