City staff have begun preliminary planning for improvements to Tyner Boulevard.
Concerns were raised during a public hearing for a University Heights development in March, with many residents expressing concerns about traffic and safety that they said would only be exacerbated by adding more multi-family homes to the area.
A staff report prepared for city council as a result of that meeting outlining five potential upgrades and potential costs will be tabled on Monday night.
Among the first things to tackle would be the construction of deceleration and turning lanes at the intersection with University Heights Drive.
Work could either be completed as one project or in two phases with the northbound deceleration lane and right-turn bay finished first, if it's possible to widen the road and relocate the trail without rejigging the intersection.
"The separate turning bays alleviate the stopping of traffic flow mitigating the potential of rear end collisions," said the staff report.
Early cost estimates (without any work past the conceptual stage) for the intersection work sit at nearly $1.3 million through 2019.
Staff have also identified installation of a traffic signal at the Tyner-University Heights Drive intersection becoming necessary.
A restrictive covenant already in place for the University Heights area requires the developer to complete a traffic impact study once 420 dwellings have been developed.
"It is possible at that stage a signal could be warranted," said the staff report, requiring design and installation of a light by 2018/19. But it could also be necessary before that point, depending on commuter and through-traffic levels. An early estimate for a signal is $180,000.
Street lights along one side of Tyner to brighten the road and trail are on the list (estimated $1.4 million) and transit bus pullouts (estimated $325,000) are on the list as is the ultimate four-laning of Tyner Boulevard (estimated $10.5 million).
When built in 1994, Tyner Boulevard was always meant to be four lanes but was initially constructed as having one lane in each direction when UNBC was developed to reduce the initial capital cost and save on operational costs such as snow clearing.
The Westgate commercial developments on Highway 16 West and Domano Boulevard have created greater traffic volumes as has the development of the University Heights neighbourhood.
The projects have been prepared for inclusion in the upcoming five-year capital plan. Once they're in that plan, they can be included in the next round of updates to the development cost charges bylaw so that money collected from new projects can be used for the Tyner work.
