Loewen and Hwy 12 construction begins

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This article was published 21/06/2024 (370 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Details on the traffic woes caused by $10-million intersection improvements at Highway 12 and Loewen Boulevard were explained during what was described as a first of its kind online public meeting Tuesday night.

Detours and lane closures are expected to last until August 2025. Drivers will have to dig deep and find their patience as workers now have their shovel in the ground.

The first lane closures started Monday, with median lanes in both directions closed on Highway 12 from Elmdale Street to Stonebridge Crossing until further notice.

Residents had a chance to ask city engineer Aaron Rach any question they had on the project after his presentation over Zoom.

The first one was already looking ahead to more closures. Rach answered that Loewen west of Highway 12 to Penner International will be closed in mid-July this summer.

That is when surrounding streets will start to feel the pressure of detours. When asked by one of the 40 or so who logged on, Rach said the city and contractors would coordinate with the province on any changes needed at other intersections during construction. That included adjusting the timing of traffic lights at Industrial Road and Highway 52, and at Acres Drive and Highway 12.

Pedestrians will be walking into some changes, too.

“There’s a pedestrian sidewalk on the east side of Loewen Boulevard. This would be treated similar to a road reconstruction project.”

“We will accommodate pedestrians either on the original route if it is safe to do so; we will provide a detour route if that is unsafe to do so,” explained Rach.

He added that any pedestrian closures should be short and at a minimum.

“We will attempt to maintain a pedestrian route through all stages of the project.”

The engineer went into detail on stage one, with next year’s stage two dependent on what gets done this year.

When initial median work is done, southbound traffic on Highway 12 will be redirected to the east side from Millwork Drive to Elmdale Street. Traffic lights will be turned off.

Along with Loewen being fully closed west of the highway, westbound traffic on the east side will redirected to the south side of the road

Rach was also asked why the project was delayed a year. He explained that with such a big project that includes putting in larger water and wastewater pipes, planners stepped back and realized there were other long-term opportunities.

“Some concerns were identified with the existing Hydro poles. A decision was made to convert the overhead Hydro service to underground to increase the safety of the intersection.

“A change like that required a lot of coordination and changes to the plan,” he explained.

One thing that is not being added is a designated right turn lane for westbound Loewen onto Highway 12.

“We did not have room in the existing right of way to fit a right turn lane without negatively affecting the neighbouring property,” said Rach.

The road and sidewalk changes were read out by Rach and put on a map:

— East and westbound Loewen currently have a single lane for both left turn and through traffic. Each direction will have a dedicated left turn and through lane.

— Southbound Highway 12 currently has a single left turn lane onto Loewen. A second left turn lane will be added. In order to receive the second left turn lane, eastbound Loewen will have an acceleration lane to merge added that will end at Home Street.

— There will be no more turning left onto Loewen from Hanover Street and vice versa.

— The southeast yield island and concrete areas at the southeast and northeast boulevards will be increased in size for pedestrians waiting to cross.

— Detectable warning tiles to assist visually impaired people will be added.

— A concrete paved pedestrian refuge at the southwest boulevard is being added.

— All walking poles will be reconfigured outside of the path of those on foot.

— The bike lane on westbound Loewen west of Home Street can no longer be accommodated in the road with two more vehicle lanes, so bike traffic will be redirected onto the north boulevard at the Home intersection to continue west to the Highway.

— Highway 12’s east boulevard between Loewen and Stonebridge Crossing will be reconstructed so that it is fully concrete paved from curb to the edge of the right of way.

“Changes and delays are inevitable in construction.

“We will try our best to stick to the provided timelines and schedules. We’ll keep the public updated, and those directly affected as informed as possible,” said Rach.

Motorists and people who live and work in the area were told they can keep an eye on the Steinbach.ca website, the City’s social media, and local media like The Carillon to find out about any updates or changes.

Rach also took the opportunity to remind people to take part in the active transportation survey on the City’s website to give their thoughts on walking, biking and more. There is a $250 gift card for one person who shares their ideas.