With the new Main Street project in Lacombe starting this spring, you may see some slight changes to the flow of traffic.
 
Last night City Council endorsed the pre-design plan of the project which includes new sidewalks and streetlights, new pedestrian signage and additional parking.
 
Flow of traffic in the downtown is expected to be much the same with better access to parking.
 
Mayor Steve Christie says the re-design will make 51st Avenue more of a main street because of the way access to some of the streets will change, including the closure of 49th Street onto 50th Avenue “you’ll see businesses building at the end of 50th and all along that way, so there’s more businesses on 51st now as well, so it’ll just move some of that local traffic to the north and I think from what we see in the engineer flow through charts, I think it will help local traffic and take some of the pressure off of Highway 12 as well”.

Christie adds the closure of 49th Street onto 50th Avenue will also help improve safety “when you’re coming south on Highway 2A, turning west onto Highway 12, you’re coming at a fairly good clip and you’re coming around the corner and that intersection is right close. It can be a dicey one; I think it has been in the plans for a number of years and a number of traffic studies”.
 
The project starts in April and includes the replacement of the sanitary sewer main on 50th Avenue, with the work to be completed by the fall.

 

Renderings Courtesy City of Lacombe