Mountain Road in the city’s north end will be converted back to the way it was just over a year ago.
Moncton City Council voted last night to return a section between Woodhaven Court and Front Mountain Road to four lanes.
A thorough study was done by EXP Services Inc. It concluded the 3-lane cross-section will not necessarily function well in all situations. But it was recommended that most of the corridor be reverted to the four lane cross-section, with additional improvements in order to optimize the use of right-of-way, support reduction of vehicle speeds and make it safer for all users.
Dave Kozak says distractions including signage, multiple driveways and changes in roadway alignment make it difficult for motorists, ” All of these factors make this section of roadway corridor a somewhat difficult area to travel within as it places a high workload demand on drivers. This can be especially challenging for non-local traffic.”
The study also found that speed levels were high in this area, “We measured the prevailing speed to be approximately 70 kilometres per hour which means that motorists are travelling at least 20 kilometres above the speed limit. The prevailing speed was found to be slightly higher in the transition areas for the three lane to four lane section, and traffic heading towards Magnetic Hill appeared to have the highest prevailing speeds at 76 kilometres per hour,” Kozak says.
This made it risky for both drivers and cyclists using the bike lanes.
The section of roadway was converted to three lanes in 2018, and bike lanes were also installed on each side.
Moncton City Council voted unanimously to convert it back to the four lanes, with future considerations for other improvements recommended in the study.
Those include, traffic lights and roadside speed display signs.
With winter coming, work to return the road to four lanes will have to wait until the spring.
“To take that road on at this point, it is just not something we can do. I will say it is something we can do next year, when the weather changes back and gives us back construction season,” says Moncton city engineer Jack MacDonald.
Future consideration will also be given to a multi-use trail for cyclists.
