The gates placed on Bailey Street by CN Rail could open by mid or late 2022, though a budget approval from Council would be needed to start the process to open the road.
The district would need to formalize both crossings with a design, consult with CN Railways and then apply to Transport Canada to open the road, said Gary Buxton, the general manager of community planning and infrastructure.
However, the funding for the design and construction of the crossings would need to be placed in the 2022 budget as the issue was raised too late in 2021 to be allocated in the budget.
“Until we have the budget to do the design work there is not much that we can do. If we do get the budget in 2022 through the budget process, we would then need to start the consultation process with CN and then the application process with Transport Canada,” Buxton said in a response to a citizen’s query about Bailey Street.
“We are looking at mid to late 2022 at the earliest to get the road open to the public, and that is if there are no special conditions or requirements made by CN or Transport Canada. Just to note that the gates will be opened during an emergency, as they were for a time last week,” Buxton noted.
Buxton said CN Rail was not willing to consider opening the gates in the interim without any improvements made to the crossings.
However, district staff continues to discuss the issue with CN Rail, and a proposal to include it in the 2022 budget is expected to be brought before Council this fall.
