News Release
Park & Go Locations Announced; More Tools to Ease Travel During Bridge Closure
May 31, 2010
More planning tools have been made available to help the travelling public as they prepare for the Princess Margaret Bridge closure scheduled for this summer.
At today’s City of Fredericton Transportation Committee meeting, maps were released showing Park & Go locations, the Park & Ride direct bus route from the Brookside Mall to Kings Place, and the locations of various bike racks in the downtown.
The Park & Go locations, dotted on the outskirts of the city and close to either end of the Westmorland Street Bridge and the Bill Thorpe Walking Bridge, are ideally suited for people to park their vehicles, and either walk or bike to their final destination in the downtown, or catch a regularly scheduled transit bus.
“The message continues to be the same for our residents,” said Darren Charters, traffic engineer for the City of Fredericton and chair of the City’s Princess Margaret Bridge Working Committee. “The Westmorland Street Bridge cannot accommodate the 20,000 cars a day to be displaced when the Princess Margaret Bridge closes for repairs. To avoid total gridlock, we are urging residents to change their driving habits, not just when it comes to using the Westmorland Street Bridge, but the city streets leading to the bridge.”
Park and Go locations identified for Fredericton’s northside include: the former Craig Electric building, Union Street; York Arena, Barker Street; Johnston Avenue (near Senior Centre): Cityview Dog Park, Cityview Avenue; Douglas Baptist Church, Highway 105/Carlisle Road; Evangel Pentecostal Assembly, Maple Street; Killarney Lake Lodge, Saint Mary’s Street; Greenwood Drive United Baptist Church, Greenwood Drive; and, 311 Saint Mary’s Street (Remax/ Furniture Deals parking lot).
On the south side, Park & Go locations include: Lady Beaverbrook Rink, University Avenue; Angelview Park, Woodstock Road ; Regent Mall, Regent Street (Smitty’s Restaurant, parking nearest Regent Street); and, Kingswood Entertainment Centre, Hanwell Road. All locations will be clearly signed.
The map showing the Park & Go locations, as well as other useful information can be found on the Princess Margaret Bridge Closure web page on the City of Fredericton’s web site at www.fredericton.ca or by visiting the province’s web page at www.gnb.ca/transportation.
The City of Fredericton and Province of New Brunswick have already urged residents to consider flex time at work or to take some vacation during the bridge closure. Other ways of reducing traffic are to consider carpooling; walking, jogging or cycling, using Fredericton Transit, and trying alternate routes like the Burton Bridge and Mactaquac Dam. Another way of reducing traffic is to reduce and/or combine trips across the bridge.
“The Department of Transportation is investing approximately $200,000 in measures that will assist in alleviating congestion this summer,” said Minister Denis Landry. “This funding covered our joint traffic study with ADI and the City of Fredericton, the optimization of traffic signals, the Park and Ride service, widening of Maple Street, police traffic control, cameras on the bridge, bicycle racks and public awareness. The Government of New Brunswick strongly encourages motorists in the Greater Fredericton area to change their travel times, park their cars and use alternate transportation options that will make the summer commute easier for everybody.”
The Government of New Brunswick is investing over $77.3 million for Phase 2 of the Princess Margaret Bridge Rehabilitation Project. The bridge will be closed to traffic from June 19 to August 8 this summer for the removal and replacement of bridge beams, deck and guardrail along with other key upgrades. The Princess Margaret Bridge was built in 1957.