Many farmers and residents in Division One of Corman Park northeast of Saskatoon aren’t happy about the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure (MHI) plan to close the Range Road 3043 (Llewellyn Road) north access to Highway 41 this summer.
“There is no community support for the closure,” said Corman Park Division 1 councillor John Germs during a Corman Park Council video-conference meeting on Monday, May 25. “I’ve had a lot of phone calls and comments from folks that are upset about this.”
The intersection closure is part of a larger project by MHI to increase safety by realigning the intersection of Highway 41 and Township Road 372 (Agra Road, also known as Fleury Road). Currently, Township Road 372 intersects the highway at an oblique angle, which limits visibility. The Ministry intends to realign the road so the intersection is at a right angle.
As part of the project, the MHI wants to limit the number of access points onto the highway, particularly those at an oblique angle.
Corman Park council received notice of the MHI project in February 2020. According to the MHI, a cul-de-sac would be installed at the road closure location for grader and vehicle turn-around. The south access along Range Road 3043 from Highway 41 will remain open.
The Ministry requested the RM of Corman Park council’s approval of the road closure. Council subsequently decided to hold off on granting approval until an evaluation of the Township Road 372 project was completed.
However, at its May 25 video conference meeting, council was told that MHI had completed its own internal engineering analysis of the proposal and determined that safety would be improved by the redirection of traffic from the north leg of Llewellyn Road to the newly-upgraded Agra Road. The MHI also indicated it was proceeding with the project and is set to tender construction shortly.
In a letter to Corman Park Council tabled at the May 25 meeting, MHI stated that “although the intersection may seem to operate safely today, the completion of the planned commercial development at Agra Road along with changes to the nearby internal roads of the City of Saskatoon will increase traffic at these intersections, including truck traffic.
“The proposed improvements by MHI will proactively address these issues and minimize delays in coming back to make changes to Llewellyn Road if it is not tendered with the Agra Road realignment.”
Germs said while he’s in favour of increasing safety at highway intersections, he believes it makes more sense to give people in the area an opportunity to see the improvements to the Township Road 372 intersection first before closing a busy access point.
“Once the community sees the upgrades at Fleury Road, including new turning lanes and other safety improvements, then I think folks will be more comfortable with using that intersection more,” said Germs. “But as it is, I can tell you my constituents want the Llewellyn Road north access left open.”
Corman Park Reeve Judy Harwood noted that while the RM council can make its views known, the MHI is apparently determined to proceed with the project.
“It appears we can’t avoid the inevitable,” said Harwood. “Council needs to make a decision.”
Corman Park council approved the north access closure of Range Road 3043 at the meeting. Councillor Germs registered his opposition to the motion.