The 2020 UCPR budget includes a proposal for “major changes” to the intersection of County Road 28 (Saint-Guillaume Road) with Burton Road and St-Pierre Road in Russell Township, in the Vars area.
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Aménagements de rondpoints à Vars et Casselman
The public works department went through an environmental assessment (EA) process to review proposals for dealing with traffic at the intersection. The process included a public information session December 19, 2019, at the township municipal office.
A roundabout for the intersection is the preferred alternative among three options for dealing with traffic flow needs at the intersection. The UCPR public works department will now post the final EA report on the County 28/Burton/St-Pierre Roads traffic project as part of a 30-day public review period required under provincial regulations.
UCPR council accepted the recommendation from its public works advisory committee to approve plans for a possible roundabout at the intersection site and also for posting of the EA report for final public review and comment. Public works staff are also directed to review utility relocation needs for a possible roundabout at the intersection of County Road 28 and Burton and St-Pierre Roads.
Casselman roundabout
The UCPR public works department continues with its studies on the feasibility of a roundabout at the intersection of Principale Street and Laflèche and Racine Streets in Casselman.
The department has reviewed three options for such a project, which would involve either a traffic signal setup, a free-flow right-turn design, or a yield-traffic-controlled right turn design. The free-flow design was rejected because it could create traffic congestion problems and also would require a larger design setup.
UCPR public works staff now need to contact utility outfits and review how a roundabout design at the intersection would affect existing hydro, phone, and water and sewer lines. The information will become part of the final feasibility report, including project cost estimates, to the advisory committee so that it can make a recommendation to UCPR council.
Roundabout policy
The UCPR public works advisory committee supports a recommendation from public works staff for a revision to the UCPR policy on shared infrastructure services involving county roads. The present policy does include a section that addresses the presence of a roundabout on a county road.
In a verbal report to the committee UCPR Public Works Engineer Jérémie Bouchard noted that roundabouts are becoming more common to handle traffic flow situations at intersections. His department’s proposal is that roundabouts be treated the same as traffic light setups for cost-sharing with local municipalities.
