As Moncton continues to grow, there is going to be a necessity to address certain portions of our infrastructure that were never designed for a larger city.
Now this list addresses some very obvious spots, but it is not a complete list of projects that will need to be addressed as growth continues. It is also important to note that while there is no way this entire list could be started in a 4-year mandate. This is a wide-ranging long-term plan, and it is not cheap, but for growth to continue, we need to address areas where improvements are required.
A good first look is the stretch of Main Street between Newton and Westmount. For some reason, this small 3-block section of Main Street is just slightly thinner than the other sections of Main Street in the area. Thin enough that larger vehicles like boom trucks, buses, tractor-trailers, etc., just barely fit inside the lines. As the city grows and traffic becomes heavier, this is an area that is going to need to be widened.
Another factor that needs to be addressed as important to growth is traffic flow into and out of the north end. Currently, there are only three main ways to move into and out of Moncton North. These are Killam Drive to Horseman Rd, Mountain Road and Frampton Lane. While Frampton is not heavily used, it is also a residential street. Mountain Rd and Killam Drive can be very heavy during rush hour, and Mountain Rd is bad all weekend. There needs to be improved access to Moncton North.
One option is reconnecting the end of Ryan to Mountain Road beside the new Canadian Tire. This would be a major project and would require the addition of a bridge, New lights on the Corner of Ryan and Mountain, as well as likely moving a couple of buildings and reconfiguring some area streets and parking lots to improve traffic flow in the area.
Another idea would be the addition of extra lanes in key areas to increase traffic flow. This would be especially valuable on Killam between Horseman Road and the Coliseum.
The increase in size of the city also suggests we need to look at the number and size of our city parks. Using the Centennial Park, Jones Lake chain as an example. By replacing the section of road that bisects this section of parks with bridges (specifically, St George Street, Mount Royal, Milner and Main Street, as well as the Train tracks running parallel to Main), we could dredge the ponds and Jonathan Creek. Then, put a fish ladder barrier across the exit to the Petitcodiac to stop the silt from filling in the lake after it is dredged and to maintain a proper water depth.
The same dredging and fish ladder system could be used on Humphrey’s Brook as well, allowing us another waterway and park area that could extend from Mapleton Road or even Gorge Road right to the Petitcodiac. Both of these extensions could involve the creation of or expansion of the trail networks in and around Moncton to grow our active transit options as well.
An additional traffic flow option would be to create a third crossing of the Petitcodiac River at the Wheeler exit. Ideally, this would involve building an overhead bridge and traffic exchange that would start near the George Dumont Hospital and would extend to near the Water Treatment Plant in Riverview. This would reduce traffic slowdowns where Wheeler Blvd traffic needs to stop at the lights at Botsford and would involve exit ramps rather than stoplights. Both other crossings should use similar Bridges, raising them significantly, with the Gunningsville bridge starting at Main Street and going to the top of the Gunningsville Blvd Hill with ramps for Assomption and Coverdale Road. The Findlay Road Bridge would start at Wheeler and Baig, with exit ramps for Main Street, Salisbury Road, and Coverdale Road.
Raising these three bridges in this manner will allow for dredging the Petitcodiac River, which would allow for waterfront development, including boardwalks and shops along that boardwalk. It would also potentially allow for boat docks and the use of the Petitcodiac for water activities, depending on depth, etc.
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