Fredericton crash could lead to intersection changes, councillor says

A serious motor vehicle accidentthat closedthe intersection of Greenwood Drive and Route 8 in Fredericton for several hours on Saturday could lead to design changes.

Coun.Eric Megarity said he would support an investigation into improving the intersection that is located within his ward.

"If we could save someone from getting hurt or prevent a death, absolutely. So I'll be pushing for that as chair of public safety," said Megarity.

Fredericton police said they responded at around noon on Saturday toan accident involving two vehicles travelling opposite directions that collided head on.

One male was transported to hospital with serious injuries and the others involved sustained minorinjuries, police said in a newsrelease.

No criminal charges have been filed relating to the accident.

Megarity said he has received emails in the past from residents in his ward with concerns about the Greenwood Drive and Route 8 intersection, "so the residents are aware of it and they're inquiring about what's going to happen."

According to Fredericton police, there havebeen 18 accidents at there since 2020.

WATCH | This intersection has had 18 accidents since 2020:

Does this accident-prone intersection need design changes?

1 month ago

Duration 1:32

Several accidents have taken place at the intersection of Greenwood Drive and Route 8 in Fredericton over the past four years, including a head-on collision last weekend that sent one person to the hospital with serious injuries.

Megarity said that speed and running red lights is what residents are most concerned about. He added that the intersection joins "two major highways."

The intersection is provincial infrastructure and Megarity said that the city would have to hold discussions with the province before any changes are made. The city does administer and maintain the lighting system.

He said he knows there has been "ongoing talk" involving the province about that intersection and others in the city. He added that the province is "routinely" doing studies.

"I think at one time there has been discussion, sort of a high-level discussion" about possible changes to the lighting, or perhaps building a roundabout.

Following Saturday's accident, Fredericton police conducted an investigation with a collision reconstruction team on Tuesday morning that closed part of the intersection for approximately two hours.

Police said in a news release that "although it is uncommon for accident reconstruction teams to revisit crash scenes, it occasionally occurs based on the severity of the accident."

The road was closed for approximately four hours on Saturday afternoon following the collision, the release said.

Riverside Drive is currently under construction, making Greenwood Drive and its intersection with Route 8 a possible detour for drivers.

Megarity said that Greenwood Drive could be part of a detour for drivers, but the marked detour takes traffic around Sumac Street, Colwell Drive, Carmen Avenue and Watters Drive.

"Most of that vehicle traffic is going through Colwell and Carmen," he said.