New displaced left turn in Charlottetown delayed again

The new displaced left turn in Charlottetown has been delayed again. 

The new intersection at the bypass and St. Peters Road was first scheduled to open in mid-October. Then it was delayed till mid-November, when COVID-19 caused a month's delay in having some necessary equipment delivered.

Officials with P.E.I.'s Department of Transportation say the launch has been delayed till Nov. 30 because the traffic signal controller board didn't arrive on time.

"Ensuring proper set up is a priority," a department spokesperson said in an email to CBC News. "To ensure proper testing, it's delayed until the end of the month."

The province said the intersection is the first of its kind in Canada. Its construction took all summer, and its opening is widely anticipated in the capital. 

The province has even launched a series of videos showing drivers how to safely navigate the intersection.

The displaced left has been used successfully in a number of U.S. cities, where it helped alleviate traffic congestion, the province has said. Officials hope it will do the same at the Charlottetown intersection, which is used by more than 45,000 vehicles every day.  

How it will work when it does open

Drivers wanting to make a left turn off the bypass onto St. Peters Road will veer into the left-turning lane, the same as they always did. 

As they approach the intersection, they will stop at a set of lights just before the main intersection. Drivers will then cross over to the opposite side of the road into an exclusive left-turn lane.  

Cars in that exclusive left-turn lane, or displaced left turn, will then proceed up to the main intersection. 

The total cost of the work is about $5.3 million, shared between the provincial and federal governments.

The province said the new intersection will be safer and more efficient, and will cut down on wait times as well as greenhouse gas emissions. 

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