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Glendale Road widening part of new commuter study
Halifax News Net


BEDFORD/sackville
By Yvette d’Entremont – The Weekly News
Close to 100 people attended a meeting at Bedford’s LeBrun Centre last week to learn more about the proposed Highway 107 from Akerley Boulevard to Highway 102 near Duke Street.
The Feb. 12 public information session was one of two meetings held to discuss the results of the Bayers Road/Highway 102/Highway 107 Corridor Study. The first was held Feb. 11 in Halifax.
The Stantec Consulting conceptual study was cost-shared by the province and HRM and was commissioned as a result of current traffic congestion and expected future growth in the Bedford area over the next 30 years.
The study examined the future best use of the Bayers Road/Highway 102 corridor stretching from Windsor Street to Fall River. The location of the proposed Highway 107 from Akerley Boulevard in Burnside to Highway 102 near Duke Street (Exit C) in Bedford was also updated and evaluated.
“I’ve been following the 107 (concept) for quite a few years,” said Bedford resident Keith Roberts, who noted the idea has been floating around since at least the 1970s.
A former Bedford town councillor and mayor, Roberts said in the late 1970s the proposed Highway 107 was second on a priority list behind Highway 118. His comment about wanting to see something in place before another 30 years have passed was greeted with applause.
“I’ve heard concerns tonight, all valid, but the beauty of going from Rocky Lake to Akerley Boulevard is there are no houses to deal with and a lot of the land is owned by DND,” he said. “I’m in favour of moving sometime soon, not in 30 years.”
Concerns were raised that no meeting was held in Sackville. Resident Theresa Scratch said she was worried Glendale Drive could be negatively impacted if a decision was eventually made to widen Glendale from two to four lanes.
“This proposed roadway has potential for serious impact on the community of Sackville, and I’d ask you to consider setting up a meeting,” Scratch said.
Warren Irvine agreed.
“The suggestion Glendale should be widened to four lanes is also, I think, an impossible suggestion, given the sports complex and schools,” Irvine said.
In an interview, Coun. Brad Johns said Glendale Drive was originally constructed with the potential to expand to four lanes. He said such a move would potentially put Lower Sackville residents at odds with the Middle and Upper Sackville residents in his district.
“The quicker residents in my district can move from point A to point B, the better it is for them. But that wouldn’t necessarily make Lower Sackville residents happy,” Johns said. “People see the nightmare we have on Sackville Drive and don’t want the same nightmare on Glendale, but it was designed in such a manner that it could accommodate four lanes.”
Johns and Lower Sackville Coun. Bob Harvey told The Weekly News they requested a meeting for the Sackville area prior to last week’s sessions. After Scratch’s comment at last week’s Bedford meeting, Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal representative Dwayne Cross said they would look into hosting sessions in both Sackville and Burnside.
Results of public meetings will be used to complete the study. The final report should be completed within two months and will then be tabled with regional council and made public.