Lights on at Raymond intersection

By Lethbridge Herald on May 22, 2025.

Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald

Traffic flow through the town of Raymond has changed with the stop signs removed from Highway 52, which crosses east/west through the community south of Lethbridge.

Now traffic heading north and south on Broadway – the town’s main street – will be stopping at the major intersection in the community.

Four sets of crossing lights were installed at the intersection this week to facilitate pedestrian traffic.

With the change in traffic flow, all north/south vehicles must stop for traffic heading east and west. Vehicles turning east or west from Broadway must now yield to other traffic before completing their  turns. With the enormous width of Broadway, turning lanes have been created in both directions allowing for smooth traffic flow through the intersection.

All heavy trucks are now required to travel on Highway 845 or Highway 52 unless making deliveries to businesses on Broadway or other designated areas.

Chief Administrative Officer Kurtis Pratt said on Tuesday the changes  were made for a few reasons and several options were considered including  traffic lights – which can be expensive to install – as well as the creation of a traffic circle at the intersection or a four-way stop.

“It’s definitely caused some conversation,” Pratt said of the change.

Highway 845 at the east end of town was completed to Highway 52 a few  years ago but before that it ran along Railway Avenue and down Broadway. But Railway and Broadway North were turned over by the provincial department of transportation to the town. The province took ownership of a gravel road then known as 400 Street East and made it part of Highway 845.

When that occurred, that changed the direction of the town’s truck  route, said Pratt, with trucks now travelling down 845 to Highway 52.

Vehicles using Highway 52 have long been made to stop at the Broadway intersection, slowing traffic flow throw town. Some trucks, said Pratt, have been ignoring the truck route and have going down Broadway which the Town doesn’t want.

Other reasons for the change include potential residential and  commercial developments currently being explored. Traffic impact assessments suggest, as Raymond’s population grows and vehicle traffic  increases, certain intersections would be impacted negatively including specifically the intersection of Highway 52 and Broadway.

The town is experiencing growth at the east end of town with one  subdivision alone, Stone Gate Meadows which borders the golf course, expected to include more than 290 lots by the time it’s finished. And  Pratt says there is great interest in the land west of the golf course  and east of the new planned high school.

“We anticipate that will become residential and there’s potentially commercial development as well, Pratt noted.

“We’re just trying to figure out proactively how we can, for the least amount of cost, effectively manage traffic and it makes more sense for a primary highway to have right of way over a local road,” added Pratt.