MOOSE JAW — City hall is continuing to review whether it’s possible to enhance the Rotary Trail and its connection points to Thatcher Drive, Main Street North and nearby service roads.
Administration presented a response during the recent late-August council meeting, stating that from 2015 to 2018, the city upgraded the intersection at Thatcher Drive and Main Street North and made lane alignment adjustments.
One main change the municipality made was to remove access to the east service road from Thatcher Drive by installing a concrete median, a report said. Also, the city did not complete the trail connection along the north side of Thatcher during that construction activity.
Since then, the departments of operations and community services have worked to review the Rotary Trail and its crossing points at Thatcher Drive, Main Street North and the service roads, the document continued.
The departments are currently considering connecting the trail to the southwest corner of the Thatcher Drive and Main Street intersection, as well as revising signs, upgrades and signalized timing.
“The proposed solution improves pedestrian access across the West Service Road, as well as the southwest, northwest and northeast crossing points of the Thatcher and Main intersection,” the report siad.
However, improvements to the southeast crossing point are not feasible since there are no connecting trails or roads, the document continued. Yet, the departments are considering including the changes to the southwest corner in the 2026 budget.
Meanwhile, the report noted that the trail connection along the east side of Main Street and traffic improvements connecting the southeast corner of Main Street and Thatcher Drive and adjacent businesses remain outstanding. The transportation master plan offers a road concept to address this area, but would require further consideration from the departments for connections to Main Street and other pathway connections.
Furthermore, the operations department is collaborating with a consultant on projects that focus on an on-street cycling network plan and corridor studies to enhance the functions of Ninth Avenue Northwest and First Avenue Northwest, with the intention of implementing recommendations in those areas, the report stated.
If administration moved forward with changes to the Thatcher and Main Street intersection and service roads, it would need to consider that “holistically” in a Thatcher Drive corridor study, the document added.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, Sept. 8.
