Anyone who has been stuck in the traffic detour along Sideroad 10 in Bradford may have noticed a marked improvement this week.
Members of town staff and council have been working with the County of Simcoe, who recently deployed teams to control the flow of traffic at the intersections of Sideroad 10 with Line 9 and Line 11, between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday to Friday.
That’s anticipated to make it easier for people driving along the lines to cross or turn on/off Sideroad 10.
On top of that, the green light for southbound traffic on SR 10 at the intersection with Line 8 has also been extended to help more traffic move through each cycle and reduce backups.
“These adjustments have shown positive results already, with a noticeable reduction in traffic congestion and improved movement through these critical intersections,” county project engineer Claire Walker said via email.
That followed the first of the county's seven-plus-week planned closure of County Road 4 (Yonge Street) from Oct. 21 to Dec. 13 at the intersection with Line 10 for the replacement of the Scanlon Creek culvert.
In the meantime, the official detour route for traffic is Line 8, Sideroad 10 and County Road 89, which has left plenty of residents and commuters upset with dozens of comments across multiple posts on social media.
While none of the users contacted by BradfordToday responded to requests for comment, some had described the detour as “crazy,” “horrible,” and “a zoo,” with most posts stressing the increase in travel times due to so much extra traffic, the difficulty of getting in or out of driveways along Sideroad 10, the difficulty turning on or off the intersecting lines, and the frequency of collisions.
In the first week alone, South Simcoe police reported responding to seven motor vehicle collisions related to the detour including three on the first day, Oct. 21, two on Oct. 22, one on Oct. 23 and one on Oct. 25.
Officers are continuing to patrol the area, with the traffic unit monitoring traffic flow and violations, according to Samah Othman, communications co-ordinator.
The concerns from residents came as no surprise to Mayor James Leduc, who previously predicted a heavy impact to closing County Road 4, and said since the closure he’s received close to 100 calls and emails, in addition to those made to other councillors.
“The key is to reduce the accidents,” he said. “We’re not going to reduce the traffic volumes, but we need to reduce the collisions we’re having.”
Both county and town staff have been and plan to continue collecting data on speed, volume and traffic patterns along SR 10 and at the intersections with lines 8, 9 and 11, which confirmed a “significant” increase in traffic along the detour, especially during peak rush hour times, according to Walker.
“This surge in traffic was anticipated, and the monitoring efforts are aimed at understanding the impact on local traffic flow and identifying any potential issues that need to be addressed,” she said.
By Tuesday of last week, the mayor, members of council and town staff met with county representatives at the intersection of Line 8 and Sideroad 10 to discuss the best ways to mitigate issues, which led to the crews flagging traffic and extended light timing this week.
Leduc said he was “quite thrilled” with the county for listening to local concerns and making adjustments to help people travel safely during the closure.
“We know it’s impossible to get rid of the delays, but I’m comfortable if we have a five- (to) 10-minute delay overall,” he said encouraging people to leave earlier and give themselves plenty of time.
The mayor said it is possible to add an advanced left to lights at Sideroad 10 and Line 8, but felt the extended timing seemed to be enough for now.
“If push comes to shove we will definitely put the light in,” he said, adding more meetings are expected between the town and county to continue collaborating on improvements.
For now, he’s asking drivers to remain patient and reminding everyone that the drive home will become darker after daylight savings time ends on Nov. 3 and clocks fall back one hour.
Walker understands that the closure is causing frustration for drivers and residents along the detour, but emphasized that the full closure of County Road 4 is expected to improve safety for both drivers and construction workers, allow the culvert to be replaced in a single construction season instead of being spread over two, and also save about $1 million.
“There is no easy solution to the disruptions caused by such significant construction work,” she said. “The county assures residents that every effort is being made to minimize inconvenience and expedite the project.”
As previously reported, the culvert replacement is part of the first of three phases in the county’s project to widen County Road 4 to four lanes from two over about 10 kilometres from north of Line 8 in Bradford to County Road 89 in Innisfil.
In the long run, Walker expects the project to provide “substantial benefits” including enhanced safety and better traffic flow “for many years to come.”
