Garry Buechler, who will present his ideas tonight to the St. James-Assiniboia community committee, said yesterday the city ought to look at turning Route 90 into an expressway — with no traffic signals between Wilkes and Wellington avenues.
A series of interchanges and an access road would enable traffic to get onto the expressway, said Buechler, a computer information systems planner who says he's been studying the controversial corridor proposal in his spare time.
Expansion of Kenaston Street the south end of Route 90 would reqire expropriation of 62 homes, he said, producing a map to show he'd don his homework on the plan.
Buechler also suggested the CNR Oak Point line be used for a Light Rapid Transit (LRT) train, something like those in Edmonton and Calgary, for public transit from Wilkes to Logan.
The line, which runs immediately west of St. James Street, would speed south-side commuters to Portage Avenue, Polo Park, the stadium and arena in minutes, he said.
The committee is slated to hear several other presentations on the proposed $26-million corridor tonight.
Buechler, who said the proposed corridor would actually benefit him personally because he lives in St. James and works in Fort Garry, said the city should spend one per cent of the projected cost $260,000 — to study other solutions to current jam-ups on Route 90.
The corridor is meeting opposition on both sides of the river from residents concerned about increased traffic and destruction of parkland.
Buechler maintained his proposals would cost less and move traffic more efficiently than the corridor.
He also suggested the city turn Wilkes Avenue into a four-lane highway from Kenaston to the Perimeter. Wilkes is now underused because it is "a basket case" of a road, he said.
The city has already spent $350,000 on a study by DS-Lea Consultants Ltd, which recommended going ahead with the corridor. That study was "half-baked," he siad.
"All they've done is to put traffic onto Portage which is overcrowded already."
DS-Lea vice president Dave Hicks said his firm did "a pretty comprehensive analysis" within the terms specified by the city.
Negative impacts of the corridor are manageable and respond to a demonstrated need for better traffic movement, he said.
Proper analysis of Buechler's suggestion would require another detailed study, Hicks said.