The intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 21 has claimed the lives of many motorists, most recently the life of corrections officer Michael Gaucher, who was travelling from Airdrie for work at the Drumheller Institution on July 14.
Construction to this intersection and Highway 9, which wrapped up early last fall, was intended to improve safety for motorists travelling that particular stretch of roadway.
“Alberta Transportation has no plans for other upgrades at this location at this time, as we fully expect the recent construction to provide a safe intersection for many years to come,” said Tony Chelick, operations manager for Alberta Transportation in the Hanna office.
However, Bob Boyd, who lives right by the roadway, said the upgrades were made to the intersection, still are not enough.
“Since revamping the highway it has helped a bit, but it’s still not stopping accidents,” said Boyd.
In the 18 years that Boyd has been living there, he said he has witnessed way too many deaths and accidents to even count, and has almost been hit at the intersection himself.
“I can hear just about everything from the intersection when I’m outside at my place. Whenever I hear the squeal from someone slamming on their brakes, I cringe,” said Boyd.
Chelick said the new channelized intersection provides dedicated right turns for each direction, allowing vehicles to move quickly and safely through. He said they improved sightlines for drivers and reduced the crossing distance for vehicles waiting to cross or turn left on to Highway 9.
“In my opinion there should be an overpass. I’ve talked to government officials on the matter and they feel it’s not a priority. I’m not sure what the cost of a life is, but I feel it’s more than an overpass would be,” said Boyd.
Deputy Chief of Rockyford Fire Department, Kevin Elder said the problem lies with people not paying attention.
“It’s not the intersection itself causing the problem, it’s when people don’t pay attention that accidents happen. Since they made improvements to the intersection, I feel it’s been ten times better than before, but again it’s inattention of drivers causing the problems,” said Elder.
Chelick said Alberta Transportation will be closely monitoring the intersection to determine how successful the improvements are in reducing collisions over the next few years.
