What is next for Radium Hot Springs?
Radium Hot Springs is a beautiful village located in British Columbia. Before entering the village on Hwy 93S (Banff-Windermere), you will encounter Radium, famous for its mineral pools and hot springs. Walls of natural rock surround these breathtaking pools. It is an ideal place for you to relax and recharge yourself.
The traffic issues for Radium Hot Springs
However, reaching this place is not that cheering. Whenever there is a major event in the Columbia Valley, or there is a long weekend. As a result, people start pouring in, and Radium BC’s traffic becomes a mess. Many people have to turn left at the 4-way stop to reach the south end of the valley.
Traffic flagging was a good solution to handle this issue in the past. However, unexpected events like avalanches, road accidents, or general road closures in the north end of Radium, BC. Thus the traffic gets backup up significantly at the four-way stop center. The Mayor of Radium Village, Clara Reinhardt, has expressed her concerns in a meeting at UBCM with the Ministry of Transportation.
Clara further adds that traffic back up is so bad that the motorists cannot get on or off the highway. This situation creates impatience among the people, and they start passing each other.
Local wildlife in Radium
The solution
Clara suggests using some traffic systems equipped with the capabilities to read the current traffic status and make adjustments accordingly. In 2012 the Ministry recommended having a traffic circle in the village of Radium Hot Springs. However, there is a limited amount of space available for twining the highway. Also, the trucking industry is against this decision too.
Any viable solution seems to be just out of reach. To cater to the problem, the Ministry has gone for an open house to invite people and provide input on a forthcoming development project. This project will be designed to take care of the traffic issues at Hwy 93 and Hwy 95. The open house will take place on 4th September 2019 from 3 pm to 7 pm at the Radium Hot Springs Center.
With this project, a roundabout will replace the current 4-way stop at the intersection in Radium Hot Springs to address the growing traffic issues in this area. A roundabout at the intersection will keep the traffic flowing and prevent any backing-ups.
