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(Updated 7:30
a.m., Dec. 14)
BIA unveils
plans for
St. Joseph Boulevard improvements
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
The Heart
of Orléans BIA recently how they plan to spend the $2.5 million in
infrastructure stimulus funds that were announced last spring for streetscape
improvements to St. Joseph Boulevard.
Almost two thirds
of the funds will be used to build a roundabout at the intersection of St.
Joseph and Jeanne d’Arc Blvd. that will act as a gateway to Orléans
unofficial Main Street.
The Heart of
Orléans BIA chose to spend the majority of the grant money on a roundabout
rather than spreading it out for a number of reasons with improved safety
at the top of their list.
The intersection
has one of the highest accident rates in the city. In the three year period
between 2003 and 2008 there were 65 accidents at the site.
By getting rid
of the traffic lights and forcing drivers to slow down as they navigate
around the roundabout will greatly reduce the likelihood of collisions,
according to a BIA report.
The roundabout
was also chosen for its aesthetic values and the fact that it will cut down
on greenhouse gas emmissions because it will create a constant flow of traffic
and cut down on idling.
The executive
director of the Heart of Orléans BIA, Anita MacDonald, said that
safety and the overall design of the roundabouts in terms of its impact
on traffic flow were high on the list of why they chose to go in that direction.
“I think
the overall consensus is that it will actually help the flow of traffic,
that it will run steadier and smoother,” she said. “We’re
hoping to see a reduction in accidents that happen at that intersection.”
Work to build
the roundabout is scheduled to begin next summer with a completion date
by early fall 2010.
While the bulk
of the money will be spent on the roundabout, the remaining $700,000 will
be used to upgrade the intersections at Orleans Blvd. and Duford St.
Although the
$2.5 million for streetscape improvements was announced last spring as part
of the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, it is actually replacing funding that
was approved by city council in 2003 and eliminated in 2005.
In the spring
of 2003, the city council of the day agreed to set aside $500,000 a year
for five years commencing in 2004. The money was to be spent on initiatives
that were expected to come out of the St. Joseph Boulevard Corridor Study.
In September
2003, council elected to use the first instalment of the money to bury a
number of cement conduits, crossing St. Joseph at various points, which
would eventually be used to bury the overhead wires along the street.
The job was to be completed using the remaining four instalments, but the
program was eliminated during the 2005 budget process.
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.)
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