Details of roundabout proposal laid out at open house

Representatives of the P.E.I. Department of Transportation delivered a presentation at Stratford Town Centre on Wednesday concerning the construction of a roundabout along the Trans-Canada Highway.

The proposal is for a roundabout at the Georgetown and Mason road intersections with the highway.

• Roundabout proposed for Stratford intersection

About 70 people were at the meeting to listen to details of the proposal, and voice concerns over how the changes will affect them.

If all goes as planned, construction will begin in the spring of 2018 and take 10 to 12 weeks.

What's to come

While plans are beginning to take shape there is still much to be done in preparation for the project to begin.

Discussions with area businesses and residents will help finalize the locations of the roundabout, and the connecting roads surrounding it.

Land needs to be acquired in several places to allow for widening the highway to four lanes, as well as purchasing the existing fire station on Mason road.

The province will also apply for a grant through the Build Canada Fund which, if accepted, would see the federal government pay for half of the construction costs.

Safety first

Stephen Yeo, chief engineer for the Transportation Department, said that the decision to put in a roundabout rather than an intersection was primarily about safety.

"When you drive through a signalized intersection it doesn't reduce speed for all travellers. Some go through at a high rate of speed especially when the light is yellow," said Yeo.

"With a roundabout everybody slows down and proceeds through at a slower speed."

Yeo also said that traffic flow was a factor in the decision.

"It's a lot more efficient to keep traffic moving instead of a vehicle sitting there idling. So you look at greenhouse gases and the environment as well as efficiency," he said.

'In the conversation'

Janeen Mcguigan, a landowner on Stratford Road, said the plan makes sense in terms of "cleaning up the way that intersection currently functions."

Her main concern is about the construction itself.

"Most of my concerns are primarily surrounding noise and development," said Mcguigan.

 "I'm interested in making sure that I'm at least in the conversation with Stratford as far as what their plans are."

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