Changes coming to collision-filled Kitchener intersection: MTO
The province said it is considering changing the intersection of Highway 7/8 and Ira Needles Avenue in Kitchener, where dozens of collisions have occurred over the past few years.
Spokesperson for The transportation told Global News that an assessment was underway for the intersection where cars exited the highway to a stop sign and were forced to wait in traffic before turning left onto Ira Needles Avenue/Road Trussler.
A spokesperson told Global News in an email: “Department staff completed an assessment at the site, which included a review of traffic volume, delays and crash history.
“Our analysis indicates that intersection improvements have benefits, which may include the addition of traffic signals or roundabouts.”
The spokesperson said the department is currently working on the details of the plan with Waterloo Region.
Meanwhile, Waterloo Regional Police said there have been more than two dozen collisions at the intersection since 2018.
“From January 1, 2019 to June 29, 2022, there were 25 collisions at Highway 7/8 and Ira Needles Avenue. 19 of them were collisions causing property damage and six were collisions causing injury (two severe, four minor),” a police spokesman told Global News.
They cannot provide comparisons between the intersection and intersections other than Highway 7/8.
Just last week, police reported that a motorcyclist from Oxford county was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries after his bike was hit by a pickup truck looking turn left on the highway into Ira Needles.
The woman who was run over by a truck wheel was also taken to hospital after being injured in the collision.
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