SHERBROOKE, P.E.I. — A number of Summerside-area residents turned out to a recent public meeting to learn more about the construction of a new roundabout in the city.
Art Lockhart, former owner of Lockhart’s Auto Service, raised a number of points to the project’s chief engineer Stephen Yeo about the construction that will surround the auto station.
Lockhart was concerned that built-up traffic would limit access to service station’s entrance on Central Street.
“The busiest part of the day is from 4 to 6 p.m. when work gets out from the GST centre,” said Lockhart, referring to the amount of traffic that takes Central Street to go either East or West on Route 2.
If there are drivers turning left, how far will the left-turning lane go back so it doesn’t block up traffic? Lockhart asked.
Yeo said because there are dedicated left and right turning lanes on Central Street, the traffic back-up Lockhart is worried about wouldn’t happen.
The meeting was held at the Sherbrooke Community Centre with about a dozen city residents, along with council members and officials from the Department of Transportation attending.
Construction of a new roundabout and other roadwork was announced earlier this month.
A roundabout will be built at the intersection of Granville Street and Route 2, while road work improvements will be made at the Central Street/Route 2 intersection to accommodate traffic flow and safety concerns. Merge lanes onto Granville and Central streets will also be extended.
The approach from Kensington will feature a dedicated left-turn lane and access to Sherbrooke Mechanical, as well as the Sherbrooke Community Centre, which was established because of safety concerns.
The lanes from Summerside will feature a dedicated left-turn lane to Sherbrooke Mechanical, as well as to the Sherbrooke Community Centre. The approach from Kensington will feature a dedicated left-turn lane and access to Maritime Electric. These were both established due to safety concerns.
A pedestrian/cyclist cross-walk intersection will also be created.
Construction on Route 2 is expected to start in April with hopes of the infrastructure being fully up and running by early July. Temporary lanes and stop lights will be established to help reduce traffic delays during construction.
The roundabout is expected to cost about $4 million.
It was announced at the meeting the tender process had closed and the lowest bidder was Curran and Briggs.
