Photo by Whitehorse Star
Taylor Eshpeter
Castle Rock may receive contract for improvement of Hamilton Boulevard
Upgrades to the intersection of Hamilton Boulevard and McIntyre Drive at the Bernie’s Race Trac gas station could cost the city just over $181,000.
Upgrades to the intersection of Hamilton Boulevard and McIntyre Drive at the Bernie’s Race Trac gas station could cost the city just over $181,000.
Assistant city engineer Taylor Eshpeter brought forward a recommendation at council’s meeting Monday that it award to Castle Rock Enterprises the contract to provide the intersection with a new lane.
The only other bid that came in was from Skookum Asphalt at $192,097 compared to Castle Rock’s lower bid of $181,397. An estimate had pegged the work at $204,450.
As Eshpeter explained in his report to council, the changes come out of discussions between the city and Kwanlin Dun First Nation. The First Nation had expressed concerns about how difficult it is to turn left onto Hamilton Boulevard from McIntyre Drive.
“Their concerns were brought to the city’s traffic and street sign committee, and a detailed study was conducted to verify whether signalization was warranted at this intersection,” Eshpeter said.
“Based on the existing traffic demand, the study concluded that signalization at this intersection is not warranted at this time but will be required when future development occurs at the privately-owned tank farm on the opposite side of Hamilton Boulevard.”
As an alternative, the upgrades proposed would offer a bypass lane with a median for vehicles making left turns onto Hamilton Boulevard.
“Additionally, with a widened roadway, a free-flow lane will be added, eliminating the need for northbound vehicles (on Hamilton Boulevard) to merge into traffic,” Eshpeter stated.
The proposal had Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu wondering why traffic lights would not be installed at the intersection now, given that they will likely be needed in the future.
As Eshpeter explained, it’s unknown exactly when development will happen at the tank farm site, making it difficult to gauge when the signals will actually be needed.
Given the size of the tank farm area, there could also be an opportunity for cost-sharing on the signals with the owner of the tank farm when the land is developed, added Mike Gau, the city’s director of development services.
Meanwhile, Coun. Betty Irwin wondered about the time frame on the work and if it will be done this year as budgeted.
She pointed out the city had to recently re-budget a number of projects for this which had been scheduled for 2014 but did not get completed for various reasons.
Eshpeter noted a completion date for this year is part of the contract that will be signed.
Council will vote on whether to award the contract at its meeting next week.
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Comments (20)
Up 5 Down 7
Think logically on Apr 29, 2015 at 5:20 pm
If we compare the work Skookum did around the Marsh Lake to Jake's Corner stretch of highway and then look at the work Castlerock did along the stretch of highway near the airport/weigh scales, I can't help but wonder why there was such a difference in professionalism and quality of work?
Since I'd imagine someone will tear the professionalism comment apart later I will simply say that their lack of coordination with Castlerock's flagging crew (or lack of) left many turn offs and roads unsupervised. This led to more than a few people heading the wrong way in one way traffic with a large line up coming towards them.
This is written from personal experience after driving both ways on that stretch of highway 2+ times a day on most days of the week.
Up 8 Down 18
Fail to see the problem on Apr 29, 2015 at 8:02 am
So if you lived in Porter Creek or Crestview, you'd have to deal with single-lane traffic, multiple speed zones, or the round-about on Mountainview. Riverdale residents complain about the bridge. Getting from downtown to Granger or Copper Ridge or Ingram is not an ordeal - as someone else said, it takes 10-15 minutes. And yes, we have to deal with 2 red lights that are only activated when there's a vehicle waiting, and with pedestrians, and a school zone. Another option is to take the south access road, much less traffic and gets you downtown quickly. However - I do agree that the access from Ingram should take priority over the access from the gas station, but only because of people doing u-turns, or trying to shave 10 seconds by zipping around the round-about at the school.
Up 17 Down 31
Yukoner 3 on Apr 28, 2015 at 3:21 pm
Hamilton Speedway: You are absolutely correct. I hate people who fly down the right lane and try to cut in right before the traffic circle. I might be in the wrong, but I will not let anyone in when I see them bombing up the right lane. They can hit their darn brakes and pull in behind if they want to get in. They think they are being clever when really they are just being an ignoramus (can't use the word I would like here).
Up 12 Down 2
Wolfe on Apr 28, 2015 at 2:11 pm
@Who said the company did the chipseal - Perhaps you should re-read my original comment. I did not identify the contractor ( as you have ). I only stated that the work should be re-done at the contractors expense. My comment was in support of the very first comment by @Mr M.
On another note - First Nation owned or not - the work still needs to be acceptable, and in the case of the chip seal done along the Alaska Hwy, the work was/is sub-standard.
I was not aware that there is are different standards for contracts completed by contractors with FN interests. Thank you for pointing that out.
Up 11 Down 3
Copper Commuter on Apr 28, 2015 at 12:25 pm
O I, you said the light allows Hamilton Boulevard traffic to clear before letting the CGC traffic exit. Really now that is good to know, next time the double lanes of traffic coming up and down Hamilton Boulevard have to come to a stop mid flow for that light I'll remember that. And how about the next time you exit the games center you look at the 'don't walk' hand that starts flashing the moment you arrive at the light, you have immediately activated the light change process. Your welcome for the lesson, Grangerer made a good point.
Up 4 Down 11
Overactive imagination much on Apr 27, 2015 at 10:08 pm
@Grangerer, I come out of CGC often and the light does not trip right away. No way. The activator is on a timer and allows the Hamilton Blvd traffic to clear before changing for the exiting CGC patrons. I see no problem here.
Up 19 Down 5
Seriously on Apr 27, 2015 at 3:26 pm
@ Lets Get Serious: Maybe one or two peoples time is not worth more than one person coming out of Canada Games Center, but how about 6, 12, 20, cars all having to stop for one person coming out of the Games center, repeatedly. How about if when a car comes out of the games center it takes 1 minute before the light starts to activate, by that time maybe 2 or 3 cars are now coming out of the games center all at once so the light doesn't change for each one as is now usually the case. Also why is it we have complete subdivisions on Hamilton Boulevard without traffic lights that have many more residents than there are people using the games center? Try turning left from most of these on the McIntyre side of the road in the morning to experience an exercise in frustration! And exiting the new Ingram subdivision, let's not even go there...
Up 12 Down 11
Let's get serious here on Apr 27, 2015 at 11:19 am
Grangerer said "Not another traffic light on Hamilton Boulevard please, we'll never be able to get home...". You mean it will take you 10.5 minutes to get home instead of 10 minutes? If another traffic light slows some people down, I will be all for it. Your time is no more important than the people coming out of Canada Games Centre.
Up 25 Down 4
Just slow down on Apr 27, 2015 at 11:16 am
The only real problem with this or any other intersection is that a driver pulling out can't trust the speed of drivers on Hamilton Blvd. People drive like maniacs - 80/90 kph and for what? No matter how many people you tailgate, or how much lane changing you do, you are going to end up at a red light, or a school zone, or a pedestrian crossing. Accept that it takes 10-15 minutes to get to and from this area. Stop trying to make it 8-10 minutes while putting people at risk. Jeez, it's not like people have a 1-hour commute around here.
Up 11 Down 2
Enzo Ferrari's grandmother, you are hilarious on Apr 27, 2015 at 8:10 am
Talk about misplaced indignation! I doubt you'll get much sympathy for getting ticketed while speeding through a school zone. Slow down, leave 5 minutes earlier
Up 18 Down 23
Hamilton Speedway on Apr 27, 2015 at 6:23 am
Grangerer, I agree about the crazy speeding, esp the morons who feel the need to go 90-100 km per hour in the right hand lane, cut in so that they can get to the traffic circle 10 seconds faster. I call the RCMP if I see a truly outrageous driver, and they will act. 70 km per hour seems to be a more reasonable speed limit, at least for the stretch from Canada Games Centre to the Falcon/Granger area. It was 70, then the City reduced it assuming - wrongly - that drivers would automatically follow it.
Up 17 Down 10
Who said the company did the chipseal on Apr 26, 2015 at 9:05 am
Who said the company did the chip-seal. Cheap disrespectful comment of a local company that is owned by First Nations. Wolfe, just say it, what do you know?
Up 4 Down 10
EnzoFerrari'sGrandmother on Apr 26, 2015 at 8:31 am
Grangerer - you asked 'cops , where are you?'. Well , they spend a lot of time around the corner giving out tickets for folks driving at 41 kph in a school zone. Thats a 'speeding ticket' for doing 27 miles per hour!! ( yes, I speak from experience ). At least it keeps them out of Hortons or Starbucks for a while !
Up 43 Down 20
Home and Native Land on Apr 25, 2015 at 10:16 pm
Dear Mr. Just Sayin, KDFN has already paid for it. You are still here aren't you?
Up 19 Down 12
Grangerer on Apr 24, 2015 at 9:37 pm
Not another traffic light on Hamilton Boulevard please, we'll never be able to get home... While you are at it lengthen the amount of time it takes a vehicle coming out of the Canada games center to trip the light as well. It's ridiculous as one car coming out of Canada Games center immediately causes the light to change and lines of traffic to have to stop for one car. Then traffic just gets restarted and another car will want to the leave the games center and trip the light all over again.
What the police could do is enforce the 60 kmh speed limit on Hamilton Boulevard, I have to admit I drive it at 70 kmh and at that speed I'm holding traffic behind me up most the time, the impatient ones pass and do 80kmh or more to Copper Ridge. I guess 10kmh over the limit is not fast enough, they feel they need to drive 20-30 kmh over the limit. Cops, where are you?
Up 42 Down 56
Just Say'in on Apr 24, 2015 at 6:48 pm
They are saying that in the future the Tank Farm owners can pay. How about Kwanlin Dun pays? After all they are a Sovereign Nation. How about they start paying for something and not going to (MY GOVERNMENT) and asking me to pay for it?
Up 24 Down 8
Just Say'in on Apr 24, 2015 at 6:44 pm
@MrM. Good point, chip seal was a total joke that took out half of the windshields in town and is now prompting YTG to spend a bunch more on upgrades to the highway. Reaction to another bad decision.
Up 26 Down 2
PedroFerrero on Apr 24, 2015 at 5:44 pm
Totally inappropriate exercise. I use that junction almost daily. There is no need for any form of traffic lighting whatsoever. City engineering staff have nothing better to do than cost out pointless non-events such as this? Better to use the money to put in a shuttle service of some sort to ferry the First Nations folks who try to hitch into town from there. There should then be about $150,000 left over for City Hall to fritter away elsewhere on some concrete-based irrelevance.
Up 24 Down 3
Wolfe on Apr 24, 2015 at 5:33 pm
@Mr M - I sure do agree on that. I find it had to believe that some sort of audit on that work done along that section of road, would not identify that the work is sub-standard. If that is what we, as tax payers, are getting for our $$ then it is time for a major overhaul of the City engineering dept. That entire section should be re-done at the contractors expense.
Up 51 Down 29
Mr M on Apr 24, 2015 at 4:38 pm
Hopefully they don't chipseal it like they did on the Alaska Highway. What a mess.