Highway 1 Closure from 2020 to 2024
The detours of Trans-Can will bring the traffic to Radium BC. The traffic will be coming around the Rocky Mountains due to this closure from 2020 to 2024.
This means that the heavy traffic between Lake Louise and Golden. As a result, we will have to reroute right through the Radium Hot Springs Village. This will subject the motorists to a detour of more than 100 kilometers.
The construction will be based on several phases and during fall and spring because of the low traffic volume in these parts of the year. This will drive a lot of traffic to Radium BC, and it will happen during the slower times of the year, which is good news for the village!
Radium Hot Springs
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Mayor of Radium’s Comments
The Mayor of Radium, Clara Reinhardt, emphasizes how the village, especially the local businesses, can benefit from the extra traffic flow during the low days.
She has raised a key point; what can be done to make the motorists get off the road and look around and visit the local places. Maybe they make Radium Village their next destination! This will provide an opportunity for seasonal businesses to grow. She also mentioned that Parks Canada is planning to enhance the road maintenance and signage for the forthcoming increased traffic flow.
Local MLA’s Suggestions
Doug Clovechok, a local MLA, also supported Reinhardt’s comments that the Radium village roads used to be quiet, but this will change pretty soon. Some motorists from Hwy 1 might choose to go to Hwy 3 or Hwy 16 to avoid the hassle of construction.
Clovechok wants to be sure that the excessive traffic doesn’t overburden the local cops. The RCMP detachments in Invermere and Golden shouldn’t end up managing the traffic and get off of their general duty. He is concerned because several aspects of this project are still far from a certainty.
But the 4-way intersection between Hwy 93 and Hwy 95 must be developed into a roundabout. This has been something that Clovechok has been pushing on very hard, and it will also alleviate a majority of the concerns of traffic in Radium.
Area Director’s Concerns
Gerry Wilkie, the Area Director, recalls that the traffic diversions from Trans-Can to Radium Hot Springs have also occurred several times, and it has caused some issues. Therefore, the roundabout project needs to be completed before the traffics starts to flow this way. The reason behind that is the Radium Highway is not built for this kind of traffic flow.
He is eager to raise this issue at the annual UBCM (Union of BC Municipalities) meeting in Vancouver. This will reinforce all our concerns and, thereby, come up with a plan for effective management.
