By Mark Squibb
Mount Pearl council has approved construction of a pedestrian-activated crosswalk light and pedestrian island where the T’Railway crosses Commonwealth Avenue.
There’s probably no one in the Pearl happier with the news than councillor Bill Antle, who has for years advocated for a better crosswalk in the area.
“This is a great thing to see,” said Antle. “We have talked about this in council at great lengths. Safety is key, and we had to make sure this was safe. We just couldn’t put a crosswalk across Commonwealth Avenue and it not be safe.”
The crossing lights will be tied into both Topsail Road and Park Avenue intersections. Due to the placement of the pedestrian-island, left-hand turns out of Glendale will no longer be possible.
The City had budgeted $317,500, including $60,000 of Trans Canada Trail Network funding, for the program. Council last week awarded the construction contract to Dexter Construction Company Limited in the amount of $298,418, HST Included.
Engineering director Scott Batt said while construction was scheduled to start within days of the contract being approved, the crosswalk signals may not be operational by year’s end.
Batt said the public will be notified before work commences, and residents on Glendale Avenue will receive hand-delivered notices.
Approval of the contract comes after years of debate, given the speed of the traffic coming down Commonwealth Avenue, the steepness of the hill, and the close proximity to the crosswalk at the intersection of Commonwealth and Park avenues.
But its advocates, including Antle, maintain the crosswalk is necessary because many people simply cross the road, crosswalk or not, where the T’Railway meets Commonwealth, rather than use the Park Avenue crosswalk further up the road.
Councillor Isabelle Fry herself admitted to having a close call recently after a pedestrian darted across the road in front of her one dark evening.
She said that crosswalks can sometimes create a false sense of security, and that lights or no lights, residents still need to look both ways and cross carefully.
The contract was approved unanimously.