Councillor Lisa Blackburn in this 2018 file photo. (Healey photo)

BEAVER BANK: The local councillor is hoping a staff report from HRM staff will finally set in motion a plan to fix the troublesome intersection at Windgate Drive and Beaver Bank Road.

Lisa Blackburn’s request to ask staff for a solution came to regional council on July 17. It passed unanimously, and now staff will begin to look into it. Blackburn hopes to hear back about it this fall.

“It was time for me to plead my case to the rest of council that this issue is a long and complicated one,” said Blackburn. “It’s more of a deeper dive than a quick traffic analysis.

“What I have asked for is full recommendations for traffic control options for the intersection, including consideration for a roundabout because that has definitely been mentioned by many people.”

She said she has asked that both the provincial government and CN Rail be part of the discussion. The province owns the empty plot of land that is across from Beaver Bank Station, Blackburn said.

Blackburn said the last time traffic was assessed she believes in 2009—and a lot has changed in the area in the almost a decade since.

She hopes the report will finally give a fix to the issue. Beaver Bank Road is at capacity, she said.

“I hope we have a solid plan that we can look at moving forward for the intersection,” she said. “Knowing we’re at capacity is kind of scary, so we need some real solutions right now.”