New courthouse, hospital will change Iqaluit traffic flow

When they’re finished, Iqaluit’s new courthouse building and the new Qikiqtani Regional Hospital – both now under construction- will radically change the look and flow of traffic along Iqaluit’s main road.

And Toonik-Tymers will have to find another place to build their snowhouses during Iqaluit’s annual spring fest.

Drawings and architectural plans for the new hospital were unveiled months ago.

But, unfortunately the Nunatsiaq News can’t show readers exactly what the finished courthouse will look like.

That’s because the official unveiling of an architect’s drawing of the $10 million building isn’t scheduled until September, the reason provided by officials who refused the newspaper’s request for a preview of the courthouse.

However, much is already known about the new courthouse: according to documents presented at a city committee meeting on engineering and planning last April, citizens can expect to see an imposing new courthouse that will affect vehicles, people and snowmobiles travelling in the immediate area.

The new 2,613 sq. metre building, to be called the “Nunavut Justice Centre,” is located directly down the slope from Nunavut Arctic College’s main building along the Niaqunngusiaq Road (formerly called the Ring Road).

The courthouse should be finished by June, 2006.

It will replace the court’s current cramped facilities in the Arnakallak Building located between the visitors’ and elders’ centres.

About half the 12.45 metre high (about 40 feet), two-storey Nunavut Justice Centre will be devoted to office space.

The balance will be used for courtrooms, secure holding areas for prisoners in custody, and circulation space, such as elevators, corridors and stairs, “that is required in a courthouse to securely and separately move the accused in custody, the Judges and Court Staff and public through the facility.”

This will end the likelihood of accidental meetings between victims of crime and those accused or convicted of crimes against them, which has occurred occasionally in the past.

The new courthouse will feature a spacious “forecourt,” that is, a special entrance area in the front of the building.

There will be three ways to get to the new courthouse. A one-way access from Takijuq Street (formerly Trigram Road) will lead to a pick-up and drop-off area and a visitor parking lot.

A second road will lead off Takijuq into a service area and visitor parking lot.

The third access will connect to an enlarged version of the existing Nunavut Arctic College lot, with 38 additional parking spaces.

A new RCMP detachment headquarters building is also slated to be built, a bit further down Takijuq Street.

As a result of this new flurry of construction, Niaqunngusiaq Road will be busier than ever. The road itself will be widened at the intersection with Takijuq.

New walking trails and rerouting of snowmobile trail are also planned. Snowmobilers will be asked to use the upper route across the upperside of the hospital instead of using Niaqunngisiaq.

A new by-pass road – an elarged version of the present Takijuq – will eventually lead from Niaqunngusiaq along Takijuq. This new bypass is intended to relieve congestion at the Four Corners by “providing a convenient alternative” for people heading to the future RCMP detachment building and other buildings at the edge of the core area.

At the corner of Niaqunngusiaq and Takijuq, there will also be new stop signs.

The courthouse project’s “traffic impact statement” says vehicles turning on to Takijuq from Niaqunngusiaq have limited visibility and suggests this will worsen after the hospital opens.

As a result, it says no turns across oncoming traffic should be be permitted, and pedestrians will also be discouraged from crossing there.

Boulders, signs, two light poles and a timber parking rail will help define the new roads and parking areas.

The Justice Department, the RCMP and the hospital have all chipped in money to Iqaluit’s $50,000 Transportation and Urban Design Study, which will detail the design elements for Niaqunngusiaq, the by-pass road and location of sidewalks and snowmobile trails. The new justice centre’s portion of this study is $9,000.

According to a “microclimate assessment,” the new courthouse building will face some environmental challenges. It’s located in a place where snow usually gathers, which is why this place has been used for iglu building during Toonik Tyme.

The GN, says the city document approving the development, will have to find new places to store the snow that will need to be cleared.

Any tundra disturbed during the construction period will be “regenerated with Arctic seed mix.”