For anyone who has ever driven down Main Street in Osoyoos on yet another gorgeous spring or summer day, the beautiful scenery can often be forgotten for many who get stuck in traffic.
Hopefully, the heavy traffic congestion that accumulates along Main Street on “Motel Road” on the east side of the bridge will ease substantially now that Town of Osoyoos council has voted unanimously in favour of installing a new traffic light and crosswalk at the intersection of Hwy. 3 and Cottonwood Drive.
During a special meeting of council on Monday, council made the wise decision to spend $165,000 – or half the costs – of the $330,000 project, which is expected to begin construction sometime in February after the construction contract is awarded in the next couple of weeks.
Jeff Wiseman, operations manager for the area with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, told council the project will allow for easy access to Hwy. 3 (Main Street on that section of road) from numerous nearby side streets, particularly Cottonwood Drive.
The way things have been for the past many years, it was almost impossible to access the highway during many parts of the day during the busy tourist season here in Osoyoos.
Electronic sensors will be installed under the pavement to signal when oncoming traffic is approaching Main Street from nearby side streets, which will then turn the new traffic light amber and allow for easy access to the busy thoroughfare.
There is no need to install a dedicated left turning lane off Main Street onto side streets at the current time and the ministry doesn’t anticipate that is going to change any time in the next decade or so, said Wiseman.
The bottom line is Main Street is going to remain extremely busy during the spring, summer and fall months, but the new traffic lights and crosswalk will allow for many residents to no longer have to wait for long periods of time to access the town’s busiest thoroughfare.
This is money well spent on a project that is going to benefit many residents of this community for many years to come.
Council also announced Monday final plans are being put in place to installed a pedestrian-activated flashing signal light at the corner of 62 Avenue and Hwy. 97. The town has already paid $10,000 in engineering fees towards the project, with the province on the hook for the entire costs of installation of the new lighting system.
Wiseman said he expects to present full details on this project to councillors in the next few weeks.
Another ancillary benefit of having a new traffic light installed along this section of Main Street is it should ensure traffic slows down the street isn’t packed with motor vehicles. Drivers tend to naturally slow down when they know the green light they see ahead might suddenly turn amber or red.
Kudos to council for fast-tracking this project to ensure the entire project will be completed before the end of March, only weeks before hundreds and hundreds of tourists start flocking to Osoyoos on a regular basis.
