With election looming, Saint John wants to see movement on notorious intersection

As the provincial election edges closer, Saint John wants to see action on its notorious Simms Corner intersection.

Tim O'Reilly, Saint John's director of public works, said improvements are needed since truck and rail traffic are projected to increase in the coming years due to planned expansions to the Irving Pulp and Paper Mill, Lancaster Logistics Park and Port of Saint John. 

"It's one of two east to west connections for the city of Saint John, the other being in the Harbour Bridge. So it's very critical in terms of that connection," O'Reilly said.  

Simms Corner is a four-way intersection with two stop signs, turn limitations in three lanes and one lane where drivers can't go straight, giving even the most experienced drivers pause if they are passing through it for the first time. One of the streets is also a one-way.

"If you look at all the active transportation modes, including vehicles, almost everybody needs to go through that intersection to get east and west through the city," O'Reilly said.

But because the area is part of the provincial-municipal Route 100 highway and has provincially regulated rail crossings running through the area, any plans for improvements are complicated. 

"So the province of New Brunswick needs to be at the table," O'Reilly said.

"But all the other partners involved in the industrial growth in the area need to be at the table too, in terms of advocating, potentially funding the project to make it happen."

The city released a position paper in early September with priorities it is looking for provincial alignment on. The paper says the planned expansions and traffic increases could route trucks to use residential roads and hurt the city's industrial development.

"So we are opening the book again, so to say, on the design for Simms Corner with other partners, but we have to deal with the rail on top of the other issues."

O'Reilly said the project would cost around $10 million for traffic lights or a roundabout. But with factors such as the rail crossing, he said the price would likely be higher. 

He has previously said that roundabouts are cost-effective methods for traffic control and easier to maintain over time than traffic intersections since they don't have electronics, such as traffic lights. 

Provincial party leaders spoke to the city's wish list for the next government in early September. 

Green Party Leader David Coon said the intersection is the most counterproductive in the province and he wants to see it fixed.