HALFWAY THROUGH SUMMER, 70% OF SCHEDULED ROAD REPAIRS COMPLETE
Roughly midway through the summer construction season, the City of Saskatoon has currently completed 135 of the 196 lane kilometres scheduled for 2015. This amounts to approximately 70 per cent completion of the planned roadway preservation and rehabilitation for the summer.
“In both the 2014 and 2015 Civic Services Survey, Saskatoon residents identified road repair and maintenance as their number one priority,” says Celene Anger, Director of Construction & Design for the City. “As a result, $26.9 million was allocated for road and sidewalk rehabilitation this year. That’s $1.7 million more than in 2014 to ensure we continue to improve our roadways.”
Work has been steadily progressing throughout the city on high traffic and residential streets. There have been few disruptions or schedule adjustments thanks to the hard work of City crews and contractors in conjunction with the dry weather experienced so far this summer.
Work has been completed on major rehabilitation projects such as the resurfacing of Warman Road and Wanuskewin Road, the 22nd Street and Circle Drive interchange, Lorne Avenue, Taylor Street and 3rd Avenue downtown. Most of these projects wrapped up by or within one week of their scheduled completion date.
Projects still in progress include resurfacing the Circle Drive ramps at College Drive and 108th Street and Attridge Drive; widening of Attridge Drive between Circle Drive and Central Avenue; streetscaping on 20th Street; and new roadway construction on McOrmond Drive north of Fedoruk Drive, Fedoruk Drive and Zimmerman Road.
New roadways on McOrmond Drive south of College Drive, and Claypool Drive are beginning construction shortly.
Other major construction projects, such as the repair of the Circle Drive cloverleaf interchange, and the roadway construction around the airport are in progress and expected to complete on schedule. On August 4 the University Bridge deck rehabilitation was completed, opening the bridge to the public almost four weeks in advance of the anticipated completion date.
Establishing and maintaining infrastructure for Saskatoon’s new and existing neighbourhoods is also a key part of the construction season, and to date 3.8 kilometres of water, storm and sewer mains have been rehabilitated. Great effort has been made throughout the summer to minimize impact on residents, while maximizing work efficiencies. Where possible night work has been, and continues to be, used.
“It’s been a busy construction season so far,” says Anger, “but we’re not done yet. We’ve made great progress on our projects, and we thank the residents of Saskatoon for their patience in dealing with the traffic detours that come as a result of the many roadways projects underway.”
Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.
Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map. Find traffic detour information and subscribe to Traffic Detour Service Alerts at saskatoon.ca/service-alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @YXEServiceAlert and with #betterroadsYXE.