Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
The ministry of highways and infrastructure is exploring future highway improvements in Kindersley, and an information session is taking place next week.
The information session will feature potential safety improvements for Highway 7 and service roads in Kindersley. Options for future improvements will be shared with the public during the session on Oct. 23 at the Elks Hall from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
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Kindersley residents and other people who use the highway corridor and service roads on a regular basis are invited to attend the information session to discuss the options for safety improvements. The purpose of the session is to share the options and gather public input for the future.
Representatives from the ministry, Town of Kindersley and Associated Engineering will be on hand for the session. There will be an informal format, so there is no formal presentation. People will be able to come and go as they please, according to a spokesperson.
The ministry released a survey in the spring to ask for feedback from people who use the Highway 7 corridor and the service roads on either side of the highway. The session is part of the ministry’s planning process.
“Essentially, this is just a follow up to the future planning for safety improvements on Highway 7 through Kindersley,” said Steve Shaheen, a spokesperson for the ministry of highways and infrastructure. “We had the online engagement earlier this year.”
Shaheen said the ministry received more than 800 responses to the online survey in the spring, and a majority of respondents indicated that they drove on the roads in question several times each day or on a weekly basis. The responses confirmed that motorists have concerns regarding the safety of the corridor.
He noted that more than half of respondents believe the highway corridor is not very safe or not safe at all. The engineering consultant has come up with options for improvements, and those options will be introduced to the public next Tuesday.
“At that time, they’ll also be able to view a number of options,” Shaheen said, recognizing that the options will be displayed on boards for people to see. “These would involve safety improvements to the highway as well as some of the service roads of the town.”
The spokesperson said it is the goal of provincial and local officials to be more effective when considering priorities for future safety improvements, so the session is part of proper planning for future development.
Shaheen said the process is trying to determine what the public would like to see and it is an opportunity for people to meet face to face with the planners. The options include short, medium and long-term solutions, along with options that could be phased in over time.
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