CBS Town planners asked to look at busy backroads’ intersection

By Craig Westcott

Councillor-at-large Rex Hillier has assured residents living on the back lanes that connect Chamberlains and Manuels that council is dealing with their concerns about a busy 4-way-stop.

“We’ve had some communication from a group of residents in the area of a 4-way-stop at Sparrow Drive and Swansea Street,” Hillier reported during last week’s CBS public council meeting. “They’re concerned with the speed of people approaching the intersection, the volume of traffic in the area and nonadherence to the stop signs at the intersection.”

Hillier said the intersection receives traffic from Swansea Street, Cambridge Avenue, Sweetenwater Avenue, Cliffside Avenue, and Rockland Heights.
In a sort of all roads lead to Rome situation, many residents in that area use the intersection to make their way to Fowlers Road and the connection to the Manuels Arterial to St. John’s, or back.

“So, a big portion of that part of Chamberlains on their way to and from the highway go through this intersection,” Hillier pointed out. “We’re estimating maybe 1,500 cars a day go through there. This is a young neighbourhood and in recent years we’ve done a major upgrade of a playground that’s adjacent to that intersection. I just want residents to know we’re having a look at it, we’ve reached out to our staff to do a further assessment on the intersection and we’ll move forward with it over the coming weeks.”

Many drivers in Topsail and along Fowlers Road also use those streets as a back route to Neils Line and Route 60 near Manuels Bridge.
Mayor Darrin Bent said he too has heard concerns about the intersection.

“It’s a conundrum, really because of where it’s located,” Bent said. “It’s a connection, unfortunately, to other areas that bring more people to that intersection than was probably intended when it was designed originally.”

It’s a big issue for people living in the area, Hillier agreed.

“Especially with the playground so close by,” Bent added. “And the kids are always going back and forth on the corner there to get across to the playground, so yes, absolutely, planning will have a look at that for sure.”