BARRHEAD – Planned changes to Highway 18 near R.F. Staples Secondary School are raising concerns for the Pembina Hills School Division Board, who discussed the proposal at a recent meeting.
“We have three entrances from Highway 18 on the south end of R.F. Staples, and they are closing all three entrances. That is the proposal,” said Pembina Hills School Division Board chair David Truckey.
“They are proposing to put the entrance off of 104 Street and are looking to put a four-lane entrance/ exit into the school grounds.”
The highway entrances are currently used for school buses, students and staff access to parking.
Superintendent Brett Cooper said he could understand the logic of blocking access to the highway from the existing school parking lot.
Right now, the buses back up traffic when they are turning into the parking lot and then again at the end of the day when all the buses leave.
This creates a bit of a traffic jam on the highway during those times each school day.
Cooper felt the proposal of using 104 street as an access point was to channel traffic through the traffic light that currently exists on the corner of 100 Avenue and Highway 18.
The challenge is that there is insufficient room for a school bus to make the turn westbound at those lights.
Alberta Transportation held a public consultation in Westlock on June 24 with regards to the upgrades to Highway 18 and Highway 44.
Board vice-chair Judy Lefebvre asked what the transition plan was to handle all of the school traffic.
Alberta Transportation's plans for the Highway 18 modifications are not on the government website to review.
The other Alberta Transportation modification that Pembina Hills School Division Board is interested in is the change to the intersection of Highway 44 and 106 Street, where Westlock Elementary School is located.
The intersection with Highway 44 going north-south becomes two lanes in each direction with a median in the middle and an expanded turning radius from Highway 44.
The school bus mechanic shop is located at that intersection on the northwest corner.
The access to 106 Street is the main access way for traffic to the Westlock Elementary School.
Another Alberta Transportation public open house is planned for September.
The school division board will be represented at the September session to get more information.
