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STRATFORD, P.E.I. —

The announced roundabout for Stratford Road has hit a red light.

Instead, Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Steven Myers says the province will first try to solve congestion issues at the Glen Stewart Drive/Stratford Road intersection with an extension.

Myers said the roundabout is no longer required at this time because the extension will connect Glen Stewart Drive, which has two schools on it, to MacKinnon Drive.

“(The roundabout) was part of a larger plan to begin with, we’re taking this (extension) and we’ll see how that works to alleviate some of the traffic,” said Myers, adding the province discussed the change of plans with the Town of Stratford.

The town issued a statement saying council was in support of the province’s decision and looked forward to the work.

The previous Liberal government said the roundabout would be the first development in a multi-phase project that could possibly see Glen Stewart Drive connected to MacKinnon Drive.

During a public meeting in March, many residents said they felt the roundabout would do nothing to solve the traffic issues that occur during school pick-up and drop-off hours.

Stratford-Keppoch MLA James Aylward, who advocated for an extension for years, said the issue was often brought up to him at the door while campaigning.

A lot of residents felt the roundabout would not work because of its proximity to the Stratford Road/Trans-Canada Highway intersection.

“The traffic each morning would back up into the roundabout and create even more chaos,” said Aylward. “I’ve been asking for this for eight years now… unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears.

“It’s great to see its going to be done.”

Aylward said creating the roadway through would not just help traffic flow and efficiency but also improve the area’s safety, which only has one road leading to the two schools.

The roundabout was previously estimated to cost about $1.1 million and was projected to be complete by the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Myers said the hope is to still have the extension completed as soon as possible. Tenders will be going out in the coming weeks with hopefully a summer start, he said.

“Probably late summer at this point but we’ll be trying to get it done before the new school year.”



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