Drivers on Highway 22 shouldn’t have to worry about missing the turn for Turner Valley’s south access.
Alberta Transportation recently installed signs on the highway just south of Black Diamond indicating access to Turner Valley after local councilors brought concerns about poor signage to provincial officials in the fall.
“We took it to Alberta Transportation at the AUMA (Alberta Urban Municipalities Association) conference and they said they would look into it and thought it was necessary to do something,” said Coun. John Waring.
Discussions about the need to increase the visibility of 434th Street, which turns into 16th Avenue when it reaches Turner Valley Town limits, was brought to council last September.
Waring, who lives on Imperial Drive and is a frequent user of the street, told council that it’s difficult to see the intersection in dark and foggy conditions while driving on the highway.
There was previously no signage at the junction, apart from some reflectors, to indicate that the road accesses the south side of Turner Valley, he said.
Signs have been installed north and south of 434th Street indicating the road provides south access to Turner Valley, Waring said.
“They put little signs with the name of the road and then they put the bigger signs up saying access to Turner Valley,” he said.
Sixteenth Avenue, which runs south of Black Diamond and Turner Valley, has become a regular thoroughfare for Bailey Ridge, Royalite Way and Royalite Drive residents and for motorists heading south from Turner Valley after a portion of Imperial Drive was closed in 2015.
Since the closure, motorists can no longer access Turner Valley through the Turner Valley Golf Club, making 16th Avenue the only route from the east.
“Some people had mentioned it to me that when they were driving at night, especially in the winter when visibility isn’t good, that they miss the turn,” he said. “Since they closed Imperial Drive there is a lot more traffic using that road to get in and out of the south of Turner Valley. Imperial Drive and Imperial Way, that’s the main in and out now.”
While local people are aware of the turn-off, Waring said those who are unfamiliar with the area could have easily missed the road before the signs were installed.
