Sudbury looking to improve traffic congestion near Costco

One of Greater Sudbury’s busiest intersections is getting an in-depth study to see how it could be improved for motorists.

City council has approved plans for city staff to study the entrance to Costco at Barry Downe Road near the Kingsway.

An undated file photo of Sudbury's Costco Warehouse location. (CTV News Northern Ontario)

Even on Monday afternoons, turning out of Costco can be difficult.

It also becomes increasingly challenging at peak retail shopping times, such as the Christmas season or on the eve of a long weekend.

"If there’s an opportunity that we could look at to create a safer exit,” said Counc. Bill Leduc.

"I think it’s worthwhile to take that moment and have a look."

Leduc brought the motion forward at Greater Sudbury’s operations committee meeting on Monday.

He said with the addition of the gas bar and more out-of-town tourists travelling to Sudbury to shop at Costco, traffic improvements are needed.

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City staff advised there may be several roadblocks to any potential improvements to the traffic congestion at the location.

"Generally speaking, at a private entrance, the city does not make improvements," said Joe Rocca, the city’s director of infrastructure and capital planning.

"There are many examples throughout the community. Where when traffic signals are warranted, it falls on the private property owner to make those improvements."

Another challenge to studying traffic in the area is that the city will be undergoing construction on the Kingsway this summer, which staff said could skew any study results.

"We could bring a report back, as per this resolution, but we're simply going to say there isn’t sufficient data to come to a recommendation this year," said Tony Cecutti, the city’s general manager of growth and infrastructure.

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Ultimately, the operations committee approved the request for a traffic study near Costco by a vote of 3-2,  but that study will happen in the fall of 2025.