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The city councillor for Ward 4 says a proposed road extension that’s drawn criticism from some nearby residents is needed to address some of the worst traffic in the city.
And Mark Burton believes the administration will find a way to do it without any environmental impact.
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“People are waiting long hours in line and struggling to get to and from their workplaces or to the other events that they need to in the city,” Burton said.
“It’s actually the worst in the entire city, the southeast.”
Burton points out there are only four ways for people in east Regina to get across the Ring Road, and all of them — Dewdney Avenue, Victoria Avenue, Arcola Avenue, and Assiniboine Avenue — are at their capacity.
A consultant’s report published in 2022 recommended several changes to the Arcola corridor, including extending Prince of Wales Drive and Wascana Parkway so they connect.
It’s this proposal that’s drawn the ire of the Wascana View Action Group. It believes the extension could not be built without encroaching on the McKell Wascana Conservation Park, a 171-acre natural conservation area.
A route has not been determined by the city, but Burton believes it can be done without harming the park.
Ward 4 councillor Mark Burton is confident the city will do its due diligence in finding the proper route to connect Prince of Wales Drive with Wascana Parkway. (Geoff Smith/980 CJME)
“This is what the work is: to investigate and understand all the possible considerations a roadway needs to be properly integrated, to be respectful in environment and the neighbours and the conditions that surround the roadway,” he said.
“And I believe that the city is able to do that, and we’re going to take that effort to investigate, to understand, and to do it properly.”
The Wascana View group has also raised concerns about an increase in traffic the extension could cause near W.S. Hawrylak School. But Burton believes it would improve safety, by redirecting some traffic away from Assiniboine Avenue.
He also rejects the idea of routing traffic onto the Regina Bypass at a future Fleet Street interchange, arguing the connection from Chuka Boulevard is around 12 km into the country, on land that would have to be obtained from the Rural Municipality of Sherwood.
Burton’s larger point is that the city has to ensure proper connections within its limits.
“A well connected city includes major roads, but also includes other arteries that are not highway speed roads, that have been involved so that people can get to other areas of the city with an interior road and not have to go out onto the highway,” he said.
The functional study for the Prince of Wales connector is planned for this year.
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