A new merge lane has appeared on Sixth Avenue SE at a busy Third Street intersection that sees a "significant" number of traffic incidents, according to city transportation planners.--News Photo Collin Gallant
@@CollinGallant
Reworking a busy intersection downtown will eliminate two parking spaces in the city’s core this spring, but administrators say nine have been added recently though reconfiguration, while a larger parking review is promised for when construction wraps up.
Third Street and Sixth Avenue marks the meeting of two cross-town routes, but is constrained to two lanes in three of the four directions.
A left-hand turn lane going north on Sixth Avenue also forces through drivers to jog over and avoid street parking.
After major road construction last year, continuing this summer, two spaces will be eliminated to allow a longer merge, roadwork officials told a city committee Thursday.
“It’s a significant location for accidents,” said city chief road engineer Stan Nowakowski at Thursday’s meeting of council’s development and infrastructure committee.
“We’re actively looking for parking improvements that will increase the parking inventory in the downtown.”
The location – dug up and repaved last fall – will see street-level work completed this spring, including the traffic-guiding measures that will eliminate two stalls.
The city has now placed a traffic camera near the intersection where roads staff say most problems arise with drivers on south-bound Sixth Avenue, positioning to either continue straight up the hill or taking a left on Third Street.
Committee chair, Coun. Shila Sharps, said business owners in the area are already concerned about a switch from 30-minute free parking near the intersection, and are now losing two others completely.
Staff say the area is one of the highest incident locations on Medicine Hat’s roadway system and promised to provide figures at the next committee meeting.
Nowakowski said adjustments are made with pedestrian and traffic safety in mind, but other evaluations have opened up new stalls.
In recent years, two loading and unloading zone spaces were gained when a former private parkade entrance was closed in to become a retail store on Second Street. Similarly, two former taxi spaces were converted to general two-hour public use spaces at the former Greyhound Bus station.
Four new two-hour spaces were also added on the 100 block of Fifth Avenue, and one space was restored near a new larger pedestrian bulb crosswalk at Third Street and Fourth Avenue.
“Parking is always an emotional issue for people who have to park (downtown),” said Coun. Andy McGrogan. “It’s not as easing as addition and subtraction, but I’m glad the department is trying to be flexible.”
A larger review of downtown parking – a longtime concern for business owners and the public – has been promised since before 2020, but will proceed in 2026.
At that point, a major road and underground infrastructure replacement program will be largely complete.
“We knew that with the disruption from the construction we wouldn’t get an accurate assessment of the parking situation in the downtown,” said division managing director Pat Bohan.
Last year contractors redid sewers and water pipes along two blocks of Third Street as well as portions of Sixth Avenue, with final paving and new portions of Sixth Avenue set for completion this summer.
That follows work on Second Street that was completed in the 2010s.
