Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 15/01) - In what Yellowknife's mayor calls a compromise, rolling curbs that can be driven on will be mixed with square barricade-style ones on McDonald Drive.

Scott Hansen of Red Deer-based Pro Form concrete marks where a curb and sidewalk will go in Old Town, just off McDonald Drive. - Dave Sullivan/NNSL photo

Some of the street's residents had complained that original plans for just square curbs would make it impossible to pass and park along the road.

Engineers had wanted the squared-off curbs for safety, in light of traffic counts showing that up to 200 cars use the road each hour.

At an Aug. 10 lunch-time meeting with residents, city officials caved in by agreeing to spend about $25,000 to replace some of the new square curbs with rolling ones.

A sidewalk along a side of the road with houses will have mostly square barricade curbs to protect pedestrians, while businesses on the waterfront side of the street will get mostly rolling curbs.

"It's called a compromise... "residents are happy now. We haven't jeapordized any safety concerns," says Mayor Gordon Van Tighem.

"In areas where the engineers thought it was very important to have the barrier-type, it's been retained."

McDonald Drive resident Melanie Ridgely is pleased, and surprised at the city's flexibility.

She says there was a communication breakdown because the city sent notices to affected homeowners without mentioning changes to the curb design.

"That's why people didn't go to the meeting," she said.

But she understands the city "needs to control access because of how busy the street is. Things are defined a little more now. The engineers did a good job. They're dealing with standards so they won't get sued."

Ridgely says there is more and more congestion on the road, with recreational boaters often parking there for long periods.

Van Tighem says a new boat launch being built near the Giant Mine site will provide parking relief.

The curb and sidewalk improvements in Old Town are part of $2.5 million worth of summer road work.