County council has given Severn Township the green light to address a dangerous intersection in Washago.
Severn Deputy Mayor Jane Dunlop had been lobbying Simcoe County council to install traffic lights at County Road 169 and Muskoka Street. Traffic counts conducted by the county did not warrant the lights, but that didn’t stop Dunlop.
Severn agreed to pay for the project, and a motion was put before county council recently, asking that the township be allowed to undertake preliminary work at the intersection. It passed unanimously.
“It’s such a win for Washago. It’s huge,” Dunlop said. “I’m just so relieved. I have never quit working on it. This was at the top of my list of things to get done.”
The issue has always been sightlines. Those turning left onto County Road 169 have to drive well past the white stop line to see oncoming traffic. Even then, a building on the corner obstructs the view. The area is especially busy in the summer with cottagers, tourists and residents, and there’s a park nearby.
While there haven’t been any reports of fatal collisions at the intersection, Dunlop wasn’t prepared to wait until one happened.
“I said at council last fall, ‘If there’s a death at that corner, I will resign,’” she said. “If we have the money, we should do it. Where do you put a price on someone’s life? I can’t do that.”
The township had already budgeted $70,000 for preliminary work. A request for proposals will go out for an engineering firm, which will look into the project. That work will happen in the summer and fall, and Dunlop expects the stop lights, which will be timed, will be installed in 2021 at a cost of $250,000.
