(FIle photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Melfort Heavy Truck Route

City to look into heavy truck route after hearing residents’ concerns

Jan 13, 2021 | 1:14 PM

After conversations began in mid-December regarding Melfort’s Heavy Truck Route, more residents are voicing their concerns over the route, mainly relating to Broadway Avenue South.

At the city’s council meeting on Monday, Jan. 11, several residents voiced their concerns about heavy duty vehicles travelling down the road.

One letter said the semi traffic going by their house on Broadway Ave. South has “dramatically increased”, over the years and that “90 per cent of the heavy trucks are grain trucks.” They added there are upwards of 50 trucks that make their way down that route on a day-to-day basis, sometimes more during harvest. The letter also stated the changes in the area since the road was deemed a Heavy Truck Route, including residential development in the ’80s.

Another letter also voiced concerns that Maude Burke School is located on that road.

“Why would you want all of these semis travelling past a school?” the letter read.

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It also stated most of those trucks are using Broadway Ave. South as a “short cut” — something Mayor Glenn George told northeastNOW he agreed with.

Another letter-writer said they don’t let their children walk to Maude Burke.

“Though I’ve taught my children how to watch for cars, I cannot teach them how to dodge a semi going 70,” they said.

The trucks “see the gravel road ahead, and hammer down,” they added.

George said the city is listening to the residents’ concerns, and they are fair concerns. He said the city will look into the issues on Broadway Avenue South.

“If what they have to say is correct, and I have no reason to doubt what they say is correct,” George said. “But we have to do our due diligence.”

The mayor added he hasn’t heard much from the Heavy Truck Route users yet.

George said the city will do the research including some traffic safety studies and make a decision on what to do. He compared it to the issues brought forward around Brunswick School’s intersections saying that it was similar in the sense that residents came forward with concerns, and now it’s the City of Melfort’s turn to do their work and make a decision.

The resolution to the problem might be as simple as removing that section of road from the Heavy Truck Route.

“That could be as simple as it is yeah,” George said. “And it could be a lot more complex than that.”

The Heavy Truck Route likely would remain on Broadway Avenue South just north of Maude Burke School to Saskatchewan Avenue as there are businesses there that use the route.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6