Crash prompts examination of Linc, Red Hill parkway safety

Hamilton city staff have released studies looking at what can be done to make the Linc and Red Hill Valley Parkway safer.

The reports, commissioned by Hamilton councillor Sam Merulla, show that traffic on the roads, which opened in 1997 and 2007 respectively, has soared, reaching capacity during peak hours. The number of crashes has also risen, more than doubling in the past eight years.

The reports list a number of recommendations to improve safety on both the Red Hill Valley Parkway and the Lincoln Alexander Parkway.

They include:

• installing milled shoulder rumble strips,
• improving signage,
• and erecting a tension cable median barrier system.

Those improvements are expected to cost more than $10 million.

Merulla called for the study following the fatal crash that claimed the lives of two Hamilton women last May. They will be tabled at the public works committee on Monday.