Saint John city planners working to 'cut straight through' tricky intersection

Drivers in east Saint John will soon not have to zigzag their way across one of the city's busiest roads to get from the highway to a prime shopping district.

A construction project now underway is aimed at streamlining traffic through a tricky passage across Rothesay Avenue in east Saint John.  

"We're removing the buildings that will allow us to realign Retail Drive to the south, so it will line up with Ashburn Lake Road," said Kevin O'Brien, a municipal engineer with the City of Saint John. 

O'Brien said six buildings had to be acquired and removed to make way for the new roadway. Some of those included residential buildings that have already been demolished and a former auto shop.

WATCH | How the city of Saint John is going to fix a tricky intersection:

Saint John is realigning a pair of mismatched roads to smooth out traffic

9 days ago

Duration 1:31

Getting from the highway in Saint John to the East Point shopping district can be a hassle when crossing Rothesay Avenue. A new project aims to fix that.

Travellers going from the Saint John Throughway, or Route 1, headed to the East Point Shopping Centre have had to exit onto Ashburn Lake Road and make a left turn at the lights.

Once given the green light and making their turn onto Rothesay Avenue, they have just a few metres to quickly switch lanes to make a right turn onto Retail Avenue and enter the shopping district. A pair of train tracks on Ashburn Lake Road can further complicate the crossing. 

When construction is complete, it will simply be a regular intersection leading to large stores such as Costco, Sobeys, Home Depot, Kent and Canadian Tire. The road also provides access to Walmart, the McAllister Place mall, a liquor store and a variety of restaurants and other small businesses.

"It was limiting growth in the area," said O'Brien. "And there are also safety concerns in that the left turns were very difficult to make. 

There are other entrances to avoid the complex crossing, but when entering the shopping centre from the highway it is the quickest and most efficient route, and the one that often shows up on GPS navigation systems. 

"This new intersection will have a new set of lights that will be fully accessible, improving safety for all users of the transportation system and it will also allow for increased efficiency and further growth in the area," said O'Brien.

He says crews will continue working on the area until the end of November, breaking for winter, and resuming in mid-April. It's expected to be completed in October 2025.