SAINT JOHN, N.B. — Traffic congestion will become a thing of the past for truckers and motorists driving from Saint John from the Kennebecasis Valley during morning rush hour.

Margaret Ann Blaney, provincial minister of transportation and MLA for Saint John-Kings recently announced a project for improved westbound access to the city.

“We plan to put an extra lane on the (on-ramp to the Mackay Highway from the Airport Access Road) so the traffic can turn freeflow and not have to wait,” says Blaney. “It’s the congestion and the wait in the morning that’s the problem. There’s a lot of congestion and traffic from the Wells, French Village area and the airport that has traffic backed up significantly on the bridge. If you’re turning left to get on the highway, you could sit there for awhile.”

The increase in traffic is due to the opening of Millenium Drive and Campbell Drive.

“We knew when we opened Campbell Drive and Millennium Drive, we’d probably see a traffic increase, but we didn’t know how much or what the pattern would be,” says Blaney. “The traffic is moving toward the exit off Campbell and backing up.”

Tenders will be issued soon and work is scheduled for completion by mid-November.