Traffic circle with RRFBs on the JLB end seems great
This is one location where a ped overpass actually makes a great deal of sense -- all of the surrounding residential lands are already 3-5m above the road level.
Would be interested to know the back story of how they ended up with the design they did and why they didn't plan for a more normal connection in the first place.
Looked at the air photos; to me it seems like JLB was really intended as a north/south route.
1957: Before any construction in the area, Northmount Dr is the key artery. McKnight is coming across, but the area near the corner is still a stream bed. The future JLB is to the west of the developed land here.
1972: McKnight has been built, as has North Haven. JLB seems like it's intended to continue north, curve through the open space, and connect up north around were 64th Ave is today.
Zooming in, the intersection is basically, except for a dual right turn NB->EB, the same as it is today.
By 1975, 14th St is being extended to connect north instead; this is more or less what is there today.
What happened, I suspect based on a few minutes of internet research, is the establishment of Nose Hill Park. The land of Nose Hill Park was originally planned to be used for residential purposes; per Wikipedia, in the early 1970s a naturalist-NIMBY alliance lobbied for the creation of the park. In 1972 the City decided to freeze development in the area, and ultimately created the park; the developer sued the city and actually appealed all the way to
the Supreme Court of Canada. If there isn't going to be any development west of 14th St in the area, you no longer need multiple parallel arteries, and 14th St was built curving around the border of the park (and also providing a more direct connection to the downtown).