Entrance to Costco in Sudbury should have a traffic light, but there’s not enough room: report

A report headed to the city’s operations committee next week says a traffic light is warranted in the area near Costco in Sudbury, but there’s not enough room – so the light would actually make the situation worse.

Many motorists in Greater Sudbury are familiar with the traffic jams that frequently occur in the popular shopping area near Costco in New Sudbury.

The area can get particularly jammed up during peak shopping times, when vehicles turning in from Barry Downe Road and The Kingsway slow traffic.

A report headed to the city’s operations committee next week says a traffic light is warranted in the area, but there’s not enough room – so the light would actually make the situation worse.

“Currently, the Costco entrance is controlled by a stop sign for vehicles exiting the site onto Barry Downe Road,” the report said.

“The design includes dedicated left and right-turn lanes, allowing left-turn movements on Barry Downe Road to proceed without obstructing vehicles turning right. This configuration helps mitigate congestion during regular traffic conditions.”

During holiday and peak shopping times, the property owner currently pays for police to control traffic movements.

Ideally, the entrances would be reconfigured to smooth out traffic flow, but there are two major challenges.

‘Slopes steeply upwards’

“Redesigning the entrance is a challenge because the road toward the area slopes steeply upwards,” the report said.

“This elevation difference poses challenges for redesigning access points, particularly in maintaining safe sightlines and vehicle maneuverability.”

“Additionally, adjacent to the Kingsway and Barry Downe Road intersection is the site’s stormwater management pond. This pond serves as a critical drainage feature for the surrounding commercial area and restricts available space for reconfiguring or expanding the entrance.”

The upward slope and the need to maintain the stormwater ponds mean redesigning the entrance “would require substantial engineering interventions.”

“As the entrance is privately owned, Barry Downe Road any relocation efforts fall under the responsibility of the property owner,” the report said.

“The City of Greater Sudbury does not provide funding or take part in coordinating such modifications.”

A study concluded that vehicle volume warrants a traffic light, but in that area, there is less than 215 metres between the existing light.

“The actual spacing between the intersection of the Kingsway and Barry Downe Road and the intersection of Barry Downe Road and Costco entrance is approximately 120 metres, significantly below the recommended threshold,” the report said.

“This limited separation raises concerns regarding queue spillback, which might disrupt traffic flow across the study area.”

Read the full report here.