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Traffic signals being installed at busy Sylvan Lake intersections

Work to install traffic signals at two busy Sylvan Lake intersections is underway, and will wrap up before the end of the year.
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Freddy Bang and Chris Jahn of Can-Traffic Services wrap up a day’s work of installing traffic signals at 50 St. and 45 Ave. last Friday.

Work to install traffic signals at two busy Sylvan Lake intersections is underway, and will wrap up before the end of the year.

Signals are being installed at Herder Dr. and 47 Ave., and at 50 St. and 45 Ave., in a bid to increase traffic and pedestrian safety.

“With the amount of traffic we have, and the amount of pedestrian traffic that we have at both locations, safety is a concern,” said Town of Sylvan Lake communications officer Joanne Gaudet.

Commercial growth near Herder Dr. and 47 Ave. has resulted in increased pedestrian traffic at that intersection, which currently only has pedestrian signals.

Full traffic signals there will also help ensure the safety of students of the nearby ƒcole Our Lady of the Rosary School.

The presence of two schools — HJ Cody and Steffie Woima — near 50 St. and 45 Ave. was the primary catalyst for having pedestrian-activated traffic signals replaced at that intersection.

Gaudet said the Town expects vehicle and pedestrian traffic to increase at both locations.

During Town Council’s Sept. 22 regular meeting, a contract for both projects was awarded to Can-Traffic Services of Cochrane at a tender of $410,818.

Installation at both sites began earlier this month, and will finish by the end of December.

The Town isn’t anticipating any major traffic flow disruptions as a result of the installations, but drivers are encouraged to exercise caution and be aware of pedestrians around them.

A budget of $800,000 was set for the project, with the remaining surplus of more than $350,000 to be applied to the installation of signals at 47 Ave. and 43 St. as part of the proposed 2015 budget.

“We get a lot of concerns about (that intersection),” said Gaudet. “Again, it’s an increase to safety.”

Can-Traffic also carries out routine inspections and maintenance for the Town’s existing traffic signals.