Safety assessment completed on Hay Lakes Trail

LEDUC COUNTY -- A safety assessment conducted for the Hay Lakes Trail and Range Road 232 intersection has highlighted a variety of concerns. 

The goal of the assessment was to evaluate safety issues at the intersection due to its close proximity to the nearby railroad. The study -- completed by Leduc County's engineering department -- outlines four main areas of concern while providing recommendations for safety improvements.

Steep Grade: According to the study, the north approach of Range Road 232 to the CN Rail crossing has a grade of 12.07%, significantly exceeding Transport Canada’s maximum allowable grade of 2%.

Sight Triangle Obstruction: It's noted that while the southwest quadrant meets the sight triangle requirements, visibility in the southeast quadrant is obstructed by trees, potentially compromising safety.

Inadequate Stacking Distance: The department says the existing stacking distance from the railway crossing stop sign to the south shoulder of Hay Lakes Trail is fifteen metres. This comes as the required distance for large commercial vehicles is twenty-seven metres.

Rail traffic and signalization: The study also notes that approximately eight trains cross daily at the intersection. Based on the 2022 traffic volume of 275 vehicles per day on Range Road 232, the site qualifies for a warning system without gates (lights only) under Transport Canada’s guidelines.

Leduc County's engineering department has offered a pair of recommendations to alleviate the safety concerns. The first being the installation of a new CN Rail warning system without gates (lights only), as warranted by current traffic and train volumes.

The second more long-term option presented by the department involves having the center-line of Hay Lakes Trail shifted 15 metres north.

The department also says that realignment through the existing right-of-way, and connecting directly to Township Road 510 north utilizing the undeveloped road allowance was considered, but ultimately deemed impractical due to multi-jurisdictional and geometric concerns.