25 October 2006
No Plans for Overpass
Regina Saskatchewan - There aren't any immediate plans to
build an overpass over the train tracks that cross Ring Road near Winnipeg Street, despite a number of serious accidents at that
location over the last several years.
"We've examined what the solution should be but there's no active work being done in designing or planning for the overpasses right
now," said Allan Duff, the traffic engineering and operations manager with the city.
In May 2003, a young man was killed when his vehicle collided with a train at that location. A near-miss had occurred
several months earlier, in January, when a car hit a patch of ice and ended up on the tracks. The train in that instance was able to
stop before hitting the
car.
The latest incident took place Sunday evening, when a minivan - slowing for an oncoming train - was struck from behind by a semi.
The minivan left the road and ended up submerged in a nearby reservoir.
Duff said the city realizes there are problems on Ring Road, in particular at places where railway tracks cross it. In a 2005 report,
the city looked at Ring Road accidents and their causes - leading to the variable message signs that are popping up on the busy road.
"We identified that there is a serious problem out on Ring Road and that we have to start doing something about it, right from the
way we sand the road to warning signs," he said.
Duff said an overpass, while ideal, is not possible at this time due to cost. The city would have to combine the CP and CN rail lines
that currently cross Ring Road near Winnipeg Street, funnelling them through one common crossing. That, combined with excavating for
traffic to run beneath the line, would cost the city between $25 million and $50 million.
Another option would see the tracks moved so all trains would run across the existing Ross Avenue rail overpass. But that would also be
costly since the city would have to pay the railroads an annual fee for delay as it would take longer for trains to get around, said
Duff.
"The city would be looking at financial assistance from senior governments for a project of that magnitude," he said.
Duff said measures have been taken to make the existing setup safer, such as flashing red and amber lights at and in advance of the
tracks.
He said for the most part, risks aren't great on that stretch since most people drive that route to work each day and are familiar with
the possible dangers.
But, he added, "anytime you have a railway track on a road with that speed and that number of cars, you've got to admit that it is
a concern."
Regina Police Service spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said while there are clear risks to combining high Ring Road speeds with railway
crossings, that section of road is not a huge concern for police at this time.
But she advised drivers to follow a number of safety rules, such as keeping their minds on the road, sticking to the posted speed limit
and slowing down when road conditions call for it.
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