It’s been a month since the lights installed at the intersection of Hwy 1A and Centre Ave at the base of Cochrane’s Big Hill have been operational, and the reviews from Cochranites seem to be mixed.
The town maintains that this has improved the intersection for those turning left from Centre Ave looking to head west on Hwy 1A, but some drivers in the community find the installation of lights has made the congestion problem worse.
“We’re turning into a stop and wait community,” said Kim Poulsen, a 17-year Cochrane resident, who calls the community of Glenbow home.
“I think the problem is allowing a left-hand turn (onto Centre Ave.) coming down the hill,” she said, adding that she is concerned for the safety of drivers on icy roads in the coming months, as well as the lack of warning that lights are going to change as people round the bend and travel down the steep hill.
“In the design process for this intersection, an engineering analysis reviewed the need for warning signals and it was determined that advanced warning lights were not required,” explained Rick Deans, senior manager of infrastructure for the town.
“This analysis was supported by Alberta Transportation (their jurisdiction)…moving forward we will continue to monitor the functionality of the intersection and consider any improvements if required and request them to Alberta Transportation.”
Dorothy Loukes has lived in the East End for five years and is one Cochranite who faces the daily commute into Calgary.
Loukes said she is seriously concerned about the potential for even more accidents this winter, following the opening of the intersection.
“I won’t come down the hill (at peak times), so I drive an extra 13 km every day and take the Trans-Canada home so I don’t have to deal with the traffic on this hill,” she said, adding that a left-hand turn at the base of Cochrane Hill simply isn’t safe — with or without the installation of lights.
Deans said that while traffic may be facing some longer wait times than before, “this delay is based on signal timing while approaching the intersection, and which is receiving the green signal.”
He said that some of the congestion is because of the timing of trains travelling through town, “which happens regularly at 5 p.m. and has a negative domino effect on traffic build up.”
Seventeen-year Cochrane resident Anika Somerville said that she is pleased with the lights and the improved ability to turn off Centre Ave. to head west on Hwy 1A.
“It was so hard to get off Centre Ave before…it also takes a lot of pressure off the intersection at Hwy 1A and Fourth Ave. — which was getting pretty bad,” said Somerville.
Deans said while the twinning of Hwy 1A isn’t currently on the province’s three-year plan, “there has been considerable work done on the design and property allocations along the corridor of the highway.”
Town council has taken recent steps to get the intersection at Hwy 1A and Hwy 22 back on the province’s books.
The original scope for the highway twinning project was from the intersection at Hwy 1A and GlenEagles Drive to the intersection at Horse Creek Road and Hwy 1A (including the Hwy 1A and Hwy 22 intersection, which is now being looked at as a stand-along project).
The maintenance of Cochrane’s Big Hill (salting and sanding in the winter months) is the responsibility of the province.
