Hwy 61, Chippewa Rd. crossing to see safety improvements

The Ministry of Transportation will make changes to improve safety at the intersection of Highway 61 and Chippewa Road.

Traffic volumes there have shot up since the closure of the James Street swing bridge.

The ministrysaidit will install an overhead flashing beacon at the intersection.

Recently, it replaced three Yield signs with larger, more visible ones.

It will also install additional warning signs to caution motorists, however the ministry said traffic counts at the intersection show signal lights are not warranted.

"The ministry and the OPP will continue to monitor traffic in the area and will address any issues as they arise, said communications co-ordinator Annemarie Piscopo in an email to CBC News.

CN Rail recently announced it would take three more months for engineers to do a detailed evaluation of the bridge in the aftermath of a fire that happened at the end of October. In the meantime it remains open only to freight trains and pedestrian traffic.