McKnight Boulevard & John Laurie Boulevard

[dmuzika]

With the 16 Avenue N widening project nearing completion, does anyone know if there are any plans to improve McKnight Blvd, which arguably handles more traffic? I know the city used to had some plans on their website for McKnight between 12 St NE and John Laurie Blvd, which included widen to 6 lanes and smoothing out the John Laurie/McKnight corner – however the plans seem to have been removed from the website. Ultimate plans call for McKnight Blvd to be widened to 6 lanes between Deerfoot Trail and 19 St NE, with interchanges at 12 St NE/Aviation Blvd, 19 St NE/McCall Way, and Barlow Trail, however there is no timeline for this project.

McKnight Blvd is usually at a crawl during peak periods as it is one of the few E-W connectors in the north. Here’s what I think should be done to improve McKnight:

ASAP
Install LH turn signal for EB McKnight to NB Deerfoot. Traffic is required to make a left turn to access the ramp and routinely backs up into the LH thru lane during peak periods. Installing an arrow (which could be a “yield on solid green” during non-peak periods) could make that intersection safer. Innocently its #1 on the city’s list of intersections requiring signals however to date nothing has happened. The signals could be synchronized with the 12 St NE signals to optimize traffic flow.

Short Term
Widen McKnight Blvd to 6 lanes between 19 St NE and 4 St NW. What would probably happen is McKnight would remain 4 lanes across Deerfoot Trail (similar to Deerfoot Trail as it crosses Glenmore Trail) as the existing bridge probably would not allow additional lanes. Also improve the JLB/Shaganappi Trail intersection to allow for 3 through lanes each way for JLB, dual left turn lanes in all directions, and 2 through lanes for Shaganappi Trail.

Short-Medium Term
Widen McKnight & John Laurie Blvds to 6 lanes between 4 St NW and 14 St NW. Slightly smooth out the McKnight/John Laurie corner, which may involve minimal expropriation, and possibly add signals at 48 Ave NW. This could be included in the above mentioned “Short Term” project. Consideration could be made to widen John Laurie Blvd to 6 lanes between Brenner Drive and 14 St NW.

Long Term
If not done already, widen John Laurie Blvd to 6 lanes between Brenner Drive and 14 St NW. Construct interchanges at Shaganappi Trail, 12 St NE, 19 St NE, and Barlow Trail. Improve Deerfoot Trail interchange to make freeflow with 3 thru lanes each way on McKnight Blvd. Possibly close or limit access on some of the minor intersections between 14 St NW & Shaganappi Trail.

Any thoughts?