FALL RIVER: Motorists travelling up Fall River Road will now notice a new traffic restriction at one of the community’s busiest intersections.
A new sign has been installed prohibiting left turns from Fall River Road into the Circle K Irving/McDonald’s property, with the exception of authorized vehicles, such as fuel tanker trucks servicing the gas station.
The change is intended to improve traffic flow through the busy Highway 2/Fall River Road intersection while reducing the potential for collisions caused by vehicles waiting to turn left across traffic.
“I’m so pleased that we were finally able to get this sign in place. It has been a long time coming,” said Councillor Cathy Deagle Gammon in an interview with The Laker News.
“The intention is to allow a better flow of traffic from the intersection onto Fall River Road so that traffic is not backed up and we avoid some near misses.”
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The restriction has been under discussion for several years as municipal staff looked for ways to improve operations at the intersection, which is frequently congested during peak commuting hours.
Vehicles waiting to turn left into the service station have been identified as a key contributor to traffic backing up from the signalized intersection and creating safety concerns.
Earlier this year, Deagle Gammon told The Laker News the municipality had been working with the previous owners of the property on implementing the restriction before ownership changed, requiring discussions to begin again.
At the time, she expressed hope the sign would be installed in 2026 as part of ongoing efforts to improve traffic flow.
While authorized vehicles, such as fuel delivery trucks, are permitted to make the turn, motorists seeking to access the Irving and McDonald’s from Fall River Road will have to do so without turning left directly into the property.
The new signage represents one of several incremental improvements being pursued at the intersection as HRM continues to examine long-term solutions for one of Fall River’s busiest traffic bottlenecks.
