District of Squamish will close Bailey Street and install gates on both ends in the near future.
A message from Gagandeep, Editor, The Squamish Reporter
The street will be closed except for emergency purposes. Access to the Westbarr Road and estuary trails will remain open to the public.District didn’t provide any timelines on when Bailey Street will be closed. The road is being closed to fulfill a long-standing agreement with CN Railways that has allowed the district to use Bailey Street as an emergency access route.
However, this 1979 agreement required that the two rail crossings be gated to allow for emergency traffic only, a condition which hasn’t been met.
Due to noticeable deterioration of the rail crossings from increased public use, the gates are now required, says the district.
District said it recognizes the community’s concern about a second access to the downtown area.
A second access is planned from the new Clarke Drive intersection off Highway 99, although the plan is a few years away and dependent on population growth.
District said it is working actively with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure on this second access.
CN Railways can be contacted with feedback or comment: Please contact Daniel Suh, Public Works Officer, at 604.589.6522 or by email Daniel.Suh@cn.ca.
Tyler Banick, Manager Public Affairs, can be contacted at 780.643.7632, or via email at Tyler.Banick@cn.ca