Lighting North Service Road Would Cost $168,000

There is something dark on the North Service Road and at least a couple of businesses would like to see the problem rectified by installing proper street lighting.

At this Monday’s regular Council meeting Councillor Doug Blanc received a written response to a question he had asked about who was responsible for installing street lights on the road.

In a written response Administration said the City is responsible for installation of any lighting but installing the lighting was based up the road and any development plan requirements.

The report stated the cost of installation was $7,000 per light standard. With a spacing of 70 meters apart for each light pole and a 1,600 meter long service road it take 23 or 24 street lights costing $168,000. The monthly operational charge would be $20 per light depending on the wattage installed.

“Thank you for this report. I will be discussing it with a couple of the businesses on the North Service Road who raised it with me. I am certainly going to tell them I don’t think it is in the budget for this year but hopefully we can have it put in for next year or the year after or what not,” Councillor Blanc said.

The North Service Road has plenty of electrical poles but no street lighting - MJ Independent photo

Post Council Media Scrum

In the post Council media scrum MJ Independent asked about the City’s legal liability now that a potential safety deficiency had been discovered.

City Manager Jim Puffalt said he did not see the City being held legally responsible if an accident were to occur because the North Service Road had been turned over to the City by the Department of Highways and the Province never had street lights.

“We have to take a look at the specifications for a service road and if lighting is indeed a requirement for it,” Puffalt said.

“I think that is where we are coming from as you know that service road was given to the City I believe under the Urban Connector program. Highways never had lights up there either and so we expect…they are not required there,” he said.

Puffalt said the City would have to look at the traffic counts of the area as part any decision to install street lights.

“Again if the Department of Highways did not have lights there I am not so sure it is a requirement for that section of the service road.”