A busy railway crossing in Lacombe will be closed for nearly three weeks for long-awaited safety improvements.
The Hwys 12 and 2A crossing will be off limits to traffic beginning July 22 until Aug. 9, assuming the weather co-operates.
Traffic will be detoured south to the Hwy 2A and 46th Avenue intersection or north to Hwy 2A and Wolf Creek Drive.
Matthew Goudy, City of Lacombe infrastructure services director, said the latest improvements are the final stage of a $19.3-million project to upgrade Hwy 2A. The province picked up $16 million of the cost and the city $3.3 million.
Work on the 46th Avenue intersection involves repaving and realigning the road with 47th Avenue, which previously did not line up. Pedestrian crossings have also been added.
At Hwy 12, the crossing will be repaved and a small change made to alignment. Pedestrian crossings will be added and westbound vehicles will no longer be able to squeeze into a small space between the tracks and Hwy 2A.
“Certainly with so many trucks on the highway it’s been a concern of ours in the past and it will be nice to eliminate that,” Goudy said.
Canadian Pacific Railway has also installed track sensors to improve the co-ordination of traffic lights and railway crossing barriers.
“There will be a lot more warning when the arms are coming down and a train is coming,” he said.
“Safety and efficiency are the main goals here.”
Adding the pedestrian crossing will be a big improvement because the amount of foot traffic at the crossing has increased as the area to the east develops.
pcowley@www.reddeeradvocate.com