PRINCE RUPERT, B.C. — A new roundabout is in the works for Highway 16 at McBride Street and 2nd Avenue in Prince Rupert, which is slated to improve safety, bring better pedestrian access and a smoother traffic flow to the community.
The project is expected to go to tender this fall, with a potential construction start in spring 2024.
According to a release, the land purchased by the province to complete the roundabout project resulted in an underutilized parcel of land that the Ministry of Housing will review as a potential future development site for affordable housing.
The ministry is also working with the City of Prince Rupert to bring improvements to municipal utilities and transit infrastructure along the provincial right-of-way.
“Roundabouts are a proven safety measure to calm traffic and reduce crashes,” said Herb Pond, mayor of Prince Rupert, in the release. “We appreciate the province’s investment in one of Prince Rupert’s busiest intersections. The roundabout will not only make the intersection safer, but it will also fix one of the major pinch points for congestion in our community.”
The total project budget is $18 million in provincial funding and includes the municipal infrastructure in Prince Rupert’s jurisdiction.
The premise for this roundabout is an out-of-date 7-year-old study (2016) conducted by the Ministry of Highways at a time when there was significant steady truck-and-trailer traffic through the downtown, moving freight to the Port of Prince Rupert. Last year an alternate road was completed that totally eliminates that traffic. The 3-way intersection in question is a stone’s throw away from the previous intersection that has a 4-way traffic light system, as well as a brand new RCMP detachment HQ. Those factors should both help ‘calm’ the traffic, if it were needed. The proposed roundabout would destroy a stand of mature pine trees on the grounds of the historic Courthouse as well as some of the surrounding lawn. The public was not consulted on this project and there is widespread opposition to it. The money could be well spent on lights for pedestrian safety on the 4-lane ‘highway’ that passes through the downtown core that is known locally simply as Second Avenue. Furthermore, the idea of locating subsidized housing on the lot nearby with a view to the liquor store, Safeway parking lot, and a traffic roundabout lacks aesthetic and pragmatic considerations of what constitutes quality of life and again was not submitted for public input prior to the fait accompli announcement. In other words, this $18M concept is a solution looking for a problem, at a time when Prince Rupert has many other problems that need attention, careful planning utilizing local input, and wise use of the public purse.