Proposed median closures along Highway 2 are being met with some concern by the Town of Okotoks.
Alberta Transportation is considering making 338 Ave. and 370 Ave. right-in, right-out intersections at Highway 2 and completely closing 306 Ave. to traffic in either direction to alleviate traffic safety concerns, a move being supported by Foothills County.
Jeff Greene, director of development services for the Town of Okotoks, said there are currently five accesses into town – these three avenues, as well as Highways 2A and 7.
“If the three medians at 306 Ave., 370 Ave. and 338 Ave. are closed, then what that will do is increase the volume of traffic, in particular on Highway 2A, which has already got significant traffic volumes on it with people coming in between the town and the City of Calgary,” he said.
With an average of 30,000 vehicles per day, he said it’s likely Highway 2A has more traffic than Highway 2 and closing accesses would divert more vehicles to the secondary highway, which could result in more congestion entering Okotoks from the north.
He said the second concern is on the access at 338 Ave., at Integrity Post Structures, where an interchange is planned for future construction to address safety concerns at the intersection. The project is currently listed as third priority on the list of transportation initiatives south of Calgary, and number 16 in the Calgary metropolitan region area.
“That interchange is pretty high up in the ranking, in part because of safety issues,” said Greene. “If you close the median and you divert all the traffic to 2A then one of the concerns is that it actually makes the safety issue, in part, go away and potentially has a negative affect on the ranking for the need for the interchange there.”
In addition, he said the Town has considered the 338 Ave. access an integral part of its economic development and growth since annexing lands in the northeast end of town in 2017, and future interchange was part of the plan.
“If that interchange and that access isn’t left open then it becomes a real detriment to the community in terms of economic development and employment generation,” said Greene.
The Town is conditionally agreeing to the closure at 338 Ave., requesting Alberta Transportation commit to the interchange regardless of whether its access is restricted for the time being. Okotoks council has already committed funding to do a functional plan, and Greene said the Town is looking to the Province to share in that cost.
Foothills County has also requested signalization at Highway 2A and 306 Ave., which the Town has requested is put on hold until the matter is discussed at an intermunicipal meeting. Though the intersection is not technically part of the intermunicipal development plan area, he said it’s important the two municipalities work together because changes could impact the entire transportation network.
“We would like the opportunity to discuss that further with the Country before anything is advanced in terms of a decision,” said Greene. “We want the opportunity to work with the County and understand whether or not it’s actually a requirement or a need at this point.”
He said installing lights at 306 Ave. could become an issue if more traffic is flowing onto Highway 2A due to closures along Highway 2, with interruptions and back-ups at the intersection.
“There is a series of moving parts here about the decisions that are going to made in terms of what kind of influence they will have,” said Greene.
