CANMORE – Palliser Trail and the Benchlands Trail overpass will undergo construction this summer to improve the busy corridor and better accommodate those who walk, cycle and take the bus to get around town.
The plan includes physically separating people who walk and cycle from vehicles by using concrete medians and green spaces. It also includes plans to improve intersections and add pedestrian islands to allow people to cross one lane of traffic at a time.
To accommodate the new design, one lane of traffic will be eliminated in each direction on Palliser Trail as well as one lane of traffic on the overpass heading down Benchlands Trail into town.
“We’re looking at improving connectivity for walking and cycling and access to transit, while still supporting a good level of service for people driving,” said Claire Ellick, a transportation engineer with the municipality.
“With the existing challenges due to congestion around town centre and expected growth over the coming years, the Town won’t be able to accommodate the increasing demand on our transportation system by expanding roadways, so providing travel options is another means of addressing this need,” said Ellick.
She said the plan falls in line with the Town’s Integrated Transportation Plan, which was adopted in 2018 and identified the need to improve walking, cycling and public transit options in order to have enough capacity for current and future growth.
She pointed to studies done in other cities that have shown while there might be a significant portion of the population interested in using other forms of transportation, if those options feel unsafe, or are difficult to use, it can be a major barrier that stops people from walking, cycling or taking the bus.
“In order to accommodate higher levels of walking, cycling and transit use, the Town needs to do a better job providing infrastructure that’s attractive and convenient to people of all ages and abilities to get around,” said Ellick.
For the most part, she said the plan will use the existing roadway, including eliminating a westbound lane of traffic over the bridge to build a four-metre wide, two-way shared-use path that will be physically separated from traffic by a concrete buffer.
The new shared-use path will continue through the intersection with the off ramp of the Trans-Canada Highway and transition to a separated pathway off the road that will end at the intersection of Bow Valley Trial and Benchlands Trail.
For vehicles coming down Benchlands Trail, the right lane at the intersection with Palliser Trail will become a right-turn only lane while the central lane will continue straight across the bridge.
The central median on the overpass and all of the eastbound lanes (uphill) will remain the same. The sidewalk on the south side of the bridge will also remain in place.
On Palliser Trail, a new bus stop will be added to the west side of Palliser Trail, next to the Peaks of Canmore buildings, while the existing northbound bus stop next to the Holiday Inn will be moved further north to a new location between the Peaks at Canmore and the new church.
An additional northbound bus stop will also be added next to the new church to help coach buses load and unload.
At this point in time the plan does not include a pedestrian bridge over the highway, however it remains part of the Town’s 10-year capital plan.
“The Town has identified the need for a pedestrian connection for across the highway within our 10-year capital plan and that would be triggered by additional development,” said Ellick, adding a more detailed feasibility study needs to be done before anything happens.
“In the interim, through this project, the improvements along Palliser Trail are intended to provide a safe option for connecting some of the new development to a number of destinations in central Canmore.”
Construction is expected begin this summer and be completed by the end of 2020. It is expected to cost $1.3 million
