Re: Twinning Ray Gibbon Drive remains a high priority (St. Albert Gazette, April 15).
Ray Gibbon Drive construction was a controversial endeavour, and it was the appropriate resolution to proceed with construction at the City of St. Albert’s cost.
As mentioned in the article, twinning is essential for the growth and service of the new developments to the south, west and north of the City. The province has been slow to bring this thoroughfare into the provincial network. I suspect it may be because of the substandard specification to which this roadway was engineered and constructed.
Compare it to the Anthony Henday ring road system which is high and wide with shoulders and ditch drainage. There are no curbs or curb drains. This cross section provides the ability for a vehicle with a flat tire or mechanical impairments to clear the travel lanes. This method of construction eliminates the cost of drains and curbs, (which I suspect doubled the cost of construction).
The selected construction has resulted in a poor riding road surface with a dip and a bump at every curb drain. Also, the curb and drain cross section design allows additional snow accumulation in the driving lanes, (wind unable to sweep snow away), additional costs for snow removal, and costs to repair curbs damaged during snow removal, as well as snow removal equipment damage. There will also be additional future cost and inconvenience when those drain bumps begin to fail and will require repair.
Ray Gibbon Drive handles a lot of traffic, but I suspect it is not constructed to the standard required to handle the volume of traffic and heavy loads that will serve the needs of the new and proposed developments. If the City of St. Albert intends to own or construct another major thoroughfare, they are urged to contract an engineering firm that is knowledgeable in highway construction. Keeping the design simple will improve motorist safety and reduce construction and maintenance costs.
Howard Schettler, St. Albert
