The Town of Innisfil and the County of Simcoe are poised to work together on an agreement that will provide at least a temporary solution to a long-standing issue in Alcona.
Specifically, the offset of Sideroad 20 where it crosses Innisfil Beach Road and the GO train tracks.
The south leg of Sideroad 20 intersects with Innisfil Beach Road west of the train tracks, but the north leg intersection lies 105 metres to the east on the other side of the rail line.
The result has been traffic congestion, delays and numerous collisions, as motorists attempt to make left-hand turns or to drive through on Sideroad 20.
Queuing of traffic on Innisfil Beach Road, on the tracks, has also been a concern to Metrolinx, which operates the GO trains.
The long-term solution remains a future realignment of Sideroad 20, with grade separation from the rail corridor.
The Town of Innisfil is also looking at extending Webster Boulevard north to connect with Sideroad 20, providing an alternative route.
But an interim solution has been proposed as part of the current widening of Innisfil Beach Road (County Road 21) by the county.
The county has begun widening the road between Yonge Street and 20 Sideroad, and will be improving the intersection as part of that work.
Intersection improvements include the addition of an eastbound and westbound lane; left-turn lanes for southbound, northbound, eastbound and westbound traffic; a realignment of the south leg of Sideroad 20; new concrete curbs and gutters; and a multi-use trail.
The proposal originally included a concrete meridian that would have prevented motorists from turning left onto and off the north leg of Sideroad 20, making continuous north-south travel impossible.
The town objected and the county went back to the drawing board.
The new solution? Removing the median and adding extra traffic signals that will synchronize traffic flows to prevent queuing on the tracks, while also giving priority to train traffic.
The change will also add $300,000 to $400,000 to the cost of the intersection improvements, 90 per cent of which will come from development charges levied by the county.
Innisfil was asked to pay for the non-growth-related 10 per cent of the extra cost. A memorandum of understanding to be signed between the town and the county agrees to provide $40,000 from reserves to cover the town’s share.
Councillors approved the memoradum at Wednesday night's meeting.
“I appreciate the alterations,” said Coun. Ken Fowler, thanking the county for finding a way to remove the median.
“A big thank-you to the county,” agreed Mayor Lynn Dollin. “They are taking on a lot of extra cost here.”
She warned that the proposal still needs the approval of Metrolinx, which has plans to add a second track and increase train traffic to all-day service in both directions along the Barrie rail line.
Construction on the intersection improvements is set to begin in 2021.
Once the widening of Innisfil Beach Road from Yonge Street to Sideroad 20 is completed, the county intends to transfer ownership of the road to the municipality, which means it will be up to the town to maintain the traffic signals and pay for the costs of a future road realignment and grade separation.
