Danny Williams sues City of St. John's in dispute over 'uneconomical' roundabout

The City of St. John's wants to see a sixth roundabout built in Galway to accommodate traffic. Former premier Danny Williams, the shopping hub's developer, is suing the city to prevent it.

Williams told CBC News on Monday the city wants him to build a roundabout on Danny Drive in an expansion area — near the Costco warehouse and other franchises —  that will ultimately be home to new businesses. He doesn't think it's necessary.

"The last thing Galway needs is another roundabout," said Williams. 

The city gave the Shoppes conditional approval to develop the roundabout on April 21, 2020, but they didn't proceed with construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2022, Shoppes sought to extend the development application approval. 

When Shoppes sought a new permit application, the city replied in April 2023 and asked for a traffic study to be conducted. 

The study recommended a traffic signal be installed, but the city rejected Shoppe's new application, stating that a roundabout must be considered due to the higher degree of traffic.

Williams sought a second opinion from an engineering company, which also concluded that a traffic signal was sufficient, but the city rejected it again. 

"This basically left me with no choice but to take them to court," said Williams. 

Excessive traffic, says city

According to Williams, the city has complained about excessive traffic around noon on Saturdays and Sundays in Galway. 

The lawsuit, filed on April 5, says, "This costly roundabout is being required to accommodate peak traffic for approximately one hour on Saturday and Sunday."

He says another roundabout would be an unnecessary expense. 

The lawsuit claims that if the city's roundabout decision stands, it would mean six roundabouts in a half-kilometre radius.

"You don't see that in cities like Paris and London that have lots of traffic, let alone Galway in St. John's, Newfoundland," said Williams. 

According to the court application, a roundabout would cost about $3.6 million, while a traffic light is $1.4 million. 

"That just makes it uneconomical," said Williams. 

City hall stifling business, says Williams

Williams says city council is making it hard for companies to do business in St. John's. 

"It's not just me. I'm hearing it everywhere. Not everybody will take them on because you can't fight city hall, you'll pay the price," said Williams. "And we need every job we can get here."

"Someone has to have a really hard look at what's going on at the permitting level down there and the regulatory red tape and the roadblocks and the obstruction that's going on to prevent people from moving forward."

Mayor Danny Breen declined a request from CBC News for comment, as the matter is before the courts, but the city issued a statement Tuesday after publication.

Communications official Jackie O'Brien wrote in a statement that Shoppes "is proposing a traffic signal despite the findings in his consultant's traffic study."

O'Brien said the traffic study acknowledges that a traffic signal is a short-term interim option, but that a roundabout is preferred. She says the study determined a roundabout would eliminate safety concerns related to sightlines, and that a traffic signal would increase traffic delays and congestion. 

"The city's concern is that over time, delays and congestion will become worse as more lots are developed. Regarding the number of roundabouts in the area, roundabouts are often found in series as they promote the free flow of traffic and mixing traffic signals in close proximity to roundabouts will further create delays and backups," wrote O'Brien.

She also notes that the city requires the developer to cover the cost of their own developments, stating "taxpayers do not bear the costs of private development."

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