Traffic signal upgrades coming up for two community spots

By Serena Lapointe

Two of Whitecourt’s light-controlled intersections have aging infrastructure and need
replacement. On October 27, at the first meeting since the election for the newly elected council,
Drew Hadfield, Director of Infrastructure Services, brought everyone up to speed.
As identified in the 2025 Capital & Major Maintenance Plan, the intersections at 49 Avenue and
51 Street (IGA and Home Hardware) and 52 Avenue and 47 Street (near Central School) were
reviewed. These two locations were picked due to increased traffic volumes, concerns over the
efficiency of the current setup and aging infrastructure, as both lights have been in use for many
years.
To determine what changes were needed, the Town of Whitecourt hired Invistec Consulting Ltd,
a group specializing in traffic management, to provide an in-depth review of both intersections.
“They took a look at the intersections and traffic flows and looked at it with a lens of how we
could improve them for both pedestrians and the traffic at those locations, and identify upgrades
associated with that,” explained Hadfield.
The findings from the review were clear; both intersections required upgrades. “We broke this
into two parts. The first phase is the design and installation of the traffic signals. The second
phase is the civil work, the groundwork, which includes the road improvements, curb and gutter,
sidewalks and improvements to go along with the changes to the traffic lights,” he detailed.
In the Request for Decision before Council, it detailed some of the improvements recommended
for the new traffic signals, including adaptive signal technology to reduce delays and pedestrian-
friendly options such as audible crossing signals and countdown timers, to let people know how
long they have before the light changes.
In Phase Two, some of the proposed changes include widening the roadway to better allow for
turning movements, which would help clear up congestion, updating pavement markings and
signs to improve visibility, and improving the ability for large vehicles to maneuver through the
two intersections.
The Town of Whitecourt sought tenders for the traffic signal upgrade component of the project
through the Alberta Purchasing Connection, with a deadline for submissions of interest of early

September. “We had a lot of interested parties, but a lot of the traffic light installers are busy
throughout the province,” said Hadfield, adding that one bid was received for the project.
He said the contractor that put in the bid, Can-Traffic Services Ltd., has done work within the
municipality. “They are a qualified bidder, and they’ve done work within the town before, so we
would be happy to move forward with them as the contractor,” said Hadfield. Invistec Consulting
Ltd. also reviewed the bid from Can-Traffic Services Ltd. and recommended that they be
awarded the contract.

Can-Traffic Services Ltd bid on Phase One of the project for $529,536.66. The intersection near
Central School (52 Ave & 47 St) is the pricier of the two, costing just shy of $290,000. The
intersection at 49 Ave and 51 Street by IGA came in just above $240,000.
Town Administration applied for funding through the Canada Public Fund – Rural Transit
Solutions Fund (RTSF) and was successful. A large chunk of the cost, 80 percent, will be
funded through the RTSF, with the remaining 20 percent coming from the Town’s Infrastructure
Reserve.
The second half of the project, widening, markings and turning improvements, will be tendered
in the spring, along with the projects in the 2026 Street Improvement Program. The hope, read
the RFD, is that the Town will secure savings by bidding out both projects together.
At the end of October and into early November, the lights at the intersection by Central School
were out, making the busy intersection a temporary four-way stop. Hadfield explained that the
power poles on the southeast and northeast corners needed to be moved and that while Fortis
was doing the work, the power to the site was down.
“Part of this intersection upgrade is identified as needing additional corner cuts. The apartment
building on the southeast corner, we’re taking a chunk of land associated with that. To do that,
we have to move the power poles out of the way. We are doing the same thing on the northeast
corner. The power pole that is currently right beside the ramp will be moved further to the north
and out of the way of the future traffic lights,” explained Hadfield. Whitecourt Town Council
voted
in favour of awarding the contract for the Traffic Signal Upgrade to Can-Traffic Services Ltd.
TAGLINE:

A couple of old intersections will be seeing a reboot soon. Two of the community’s busiest light-
controlled intersections will be replaced, and significant upgrades will be made to improve the
user experience and safety for both pedestrians and motorists.