(File Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Heavy Truck Route

Concerns regarding Heavy Truck Route discussed at Melfort Council

Dec 15, 2020 | 10:03 AM

Melfort’s Heavy Truck Route was a big topic of conversation on Monday at the city’s Regular Council Meeting.

The issue came via a letter from a Melfort resident who brought forth the concern about heavy trucks using Broadway Avenue South. The complainant had a couple of reasons for the concern including the condition of the street continues to deteriorate, and that the route goes right passed Maude Burke School. The route is part of Melfort’s Heavy Truck Route as it does connect to Highway 41.

The City of Melfort provided a map with the Heavy Truck Route bolded, and the section. The section in question has been circled by northeastNOW. (Mat Barrett/northeastNOW Staff)

“There is no need for semis on this street,” the letter read. “And many reasons why they should not be on it.”

The complainant did mention that they believe it is 90 per cent grain trucks. In the letter they also asked for a weight restriction on the road.

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Mayor Glenn George told northeastNOW there isn’t a concern at this time for an extra cost to the city down the line to repair and repave that road as it is already built to truck route standards.

Councillor Trent Mitchell noted the concern the writer of the letter had, saying that outside of a couple of blocks where there is industrial businesses and places for those trucks to go, there isn’t much need for it to go very far south of Division Street.

“Really it’s residential after that,” he said. “There’s not much purpose for a heavy truck to be down that street. Maybe you’d have a heavy truck stop at the school, but for the most part it runs through a residential area.”

He added that prior to Highway 41A coming into existence, Broadway South was mainly a highway, but since Melfort has developed and grown, there are other options.

“We’ve got 41A and Highway 6 that runs into town where our trucks can come,” Mitchell said. “So they’re really taking a shortcut right through that residential area.”

For the time being, there is no indication the City of Melfort will adjust their heavy truck route as they feel it still needs to be available for city trucks, as well as other heavy trucks coming into Melfort.

After the conversation at the meeting on Monday, Mitchell said he hopes there is some thought to maybe change things on that road.

“I’m hoping they take it back to committee and they consider whether that’s the most suitable route,” he said. “Or whether there are amendments that can be made to exclude that residential side.”

Council did however approve a change to the dangerous goods route through the city. Mainly in an effort to tidy up some old bylaws, the city has approved to include Broadway Avenue North from Saskatchewan Drive to Hamilton Avenue in the route as it was not previously listed there. Previously, that section was not in the route due to Broadway School being there, but it is no longer in commission.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6