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Traffic lights installed at busy Bragg Creek intersection

The long-awaited installation of traffic lights in Bragg Creek has come to fruition.

BRAGG CREEK— The long-awaited installation of traffic lights in Bragg Creek has come to fruition.

The four-way intersection located where Highway 22 meets Highway 758 and Burnside Drive in the hamlet has been a longstanding point of contention for both residents and visitors, as significant delays often plagued the intersection on busy days.

According to Brian Hodgkins, a Bragg Creek resident who has been monitoring the intersection for several years, the new traffic lights will make the intersection a lot safer to navigate.

“Right now, it is a confusing intersection without the lights,” he said prior to their installation. “It should be safer for residents and people visiting K-country.”

Bragg Creek’s MLA, Miranda Rosin, wrote about the installation of the traffic lights on her Facebook page. According to Rosin, traffic counters have shown vehicle traffic through the intersection has increased more than 350 per cent in the last decade.

That congestion has meant improvements at the local intersection were long overdue, she added.

“I've been grateful to work with area locals and the Minister of Transportation to get these lights up and running, and to secure funding for a complete capital upgrade of this intersection for 2025,” Rosin said.

Hodgkins said it took plenty of advocacy work to help make the lights a reality. He added last year was a tipping point, with more and more people visiting Bragg Creek and the surrounding areas for recreation purposes during the first wave of the pandemic.

“You had a bunch of new people out here last summer due to COVID-19 who weren’t used to the intersection,” he said. “It’s not the easiest four-way stop to navigate. Alberta Transportation needed to do something because of the number of complaints they got.”

Alongside residents, the local business community is also excited about the new lights. Kathleen Burk, Bragg Creek and Area Chamber of Commerce president, said she is glad to see the traffic lights finally installed and functional.

“Anything to help alleviate the stresses for people so they can continue to visit the hamlet is what the business membership wants to see,” she said.

Burk added the intersection was becoming dangerous.

“From a community and mother’s perspective, I am thrilled with it,” she said. “Anything to help direct the traffic and maintain flow will be an important benefit to Bragg Creek.”

In addition, Burk said she hopes the new infrastructure will help stimulate the local economy, as it will be easier for visitors to navigate the hamlet.

“We want people to come and enjoy the area for everything it has to offer,” she said. “We were concerned that people would avoid Bragg Creek because of the congestion.”

While businesses everywhere have struggled throughout the pandemic, including in Bragg Creek, where the economy is largely tied to the hospitality industry, Burk said local shops are starting to see business pick up.

“The general consensus is things are looking bright,” she said. “People are feeling safer here and we are seeing increased traffic to the businesses. Store owners are doing everything they can to operate as safely as possible."

Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz

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