A controversial plan is proceeding at a dangerous intersection.
The Ministry of Transportation announced Tuesday that it is moving ahead with safety measures at Stickle Road and Highway 97, but the plan does not include a traffic signal, which was popular with many residents.
“Given that many of the comments we received indicated a preference for a traffic signal to be installed, the ministry asked an independent road safety expert to compare the ministry’s design with a traffic signal,” said Todd Stone, transportation minister.
“While both improvement options were considered, the report concluded that a traffic signal is not supported as it would further increase the risk of rear-end collisions and delay traffic.”
The ministry’s plan includes extending left-turn lanes, installing acceleration and deceleration lanes and removing the left turn on to the highway. As well, there will be a new road to connect the south end of Stickle Road to the end of 20th Street in Vernon.
The ministry states these initiatives will reduce the number and severity of collisions at the intersection, maintain the flow of traffic on Highway 97 and maintain access to Stickle Road for residents and businesses.
The project is estimated to cost about $9.5 million while the ministry has estimated that a traffic signal would cost $7.8 million.
The ministry will work this fall to complete the detailed design for the project and anticipates tendering the project by early 2017.