Province to move forward with Roundabout project and potential Housing plans for Second Avenue West and McBride

Roundabout coming ... the province announced plans today to develop a
roundabout traffic site at Second Avenue West and McBride

A project long in the planning stage, has been given the green light today by the Province of British Columbia. 

Todays notes advising  that Prince Rupert motorists will see a Roundabout installed at the corner of Second Avenue West and McBride Street with North Coast Jennifer Rice sharing the news for Transportation Minister Rob Fleming today

“This new roundabout will mean better access for cyclists, pedestrians, motorists and everyone who accesses the heart of downtown Prince Rupert. Not only will this improve safety and efficiency of travel, but the potential for future affordable housing is exciting for the community. Updating and investing in local infrastructure like this, in turn, supports businesses and the residents of Prince Rupert who count on this area to thrive.” -- Jennifer Rice, MLA for North Coast on behalf of Rob Fleming, B.C. Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure

The project which will go to tender this fall is anticipated to see construction start in Spring of 2024.

The roundabout project, budgeted at 18 million dollars in provincial funding will include municipal infrastructure in the Prince Rupert areas of jurisdiction. 

The roundabout project will result in improvements for drivers and pedestrians in this busy urban area, offering a safer alternative to the current three-way intersection. The ministry is also working with the City of Prince Rupert to bring improvements to municipal utilities and transit infrastructure along the provincial right-of-way.

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond noted of the safety aspect for the project.

“Roundabouts are a proven safety measure to calm traffic and reduce crashes. We appreciate the Province’s investment in one of Prince Rupert’s busiest intersections. The roundabout will not only make the intersection safer, but it will also fix one of the major pinch points for congestion in our community.”

Through comments during a follow up Q and A with area reporters,  Mayor Pond also expanded on some of other traffic calming measures in mind for Second Avenue West, as well as how some of the work could coincide with water infrastructure replacement. 

As part of today's announcement, the purchase of land towards the roundabout project is also of note, with the province noting that the under utilized parcel of land will now be reviewed by the Ministry of Housing towards future development  in support of affordable housing in the region.

No other details related to the Housing element of today's announcement were released.

The full announcement can be reviewed here.

The announcement and Question and Answer opportunity  from the Prince Rupert Court House can be viewed below

The proposed change to the streetscape at Second and McBride has been part of previous studies on Transportation in the city. It first gained some traction in the community back in 2018 as part of a Ministry of Transportation  presentation to City Council.

Ms. Rice followed up on her afternoon announcement with some additional notes on her social media stream including an image of what the revisions to the thoroughfare would look like

Draft image of the planned roundabout in Prince Rupert

The Roundabout project is the first for Prince Rupert, the closest one to the North Coast is found in Terrace at the junction of highways 16 and 37.

More notes on the Highway 16 corridor can be reviewed here.

Other items of interest from the Legislature can be explored here.