North Commuter Parkway and Traffic Bridge Construction Taking Shape

Saskatoon’s new Traffic Bridge and North Commuter Parkway are literally taking shape. The Bridging to Tomorrow project began a year and a half ago and both bridges remain on schedule to be complete in October 2018.

The six-lane North Commuter Parkway will connect Saskatoon’s Marquis Industrial Area to neighbourhoods on the east-side. It will also accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

“At the North Commuter Parkway, the structural steel for the west half of the bridge is in place and work is ongoing on the final in-river pier,” says Dan Willems, Special Projects Manager for Major Projects and Preservation. “Once the final pier is finished, the structural steel for the east half of the bridge will be installed. Crews are also installing deck panels on the west half of the bridge.” 

Before the North Commuter Parkway can open, new roads and upgrades to existing ones are also necessary. The twinning of Central Avenue continues, and the McOrmond Drive extension is well underway.

The new Traffic Bridge looks similar to the old traffic bridge but is four spans and is slightly wider and taller in order to accommodate wider traffic lanes, wider pathways on both sides, and overhead clearance for emergency vehicles. Once complete, it will once again serve as a convenient link for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists crossing the South Saskatchewan River.

“All of the structural steel is now in place on the Traffic Bridge and work is ongoing to install the deck panels which create the ‘subfloor’ of the new bridge. By the end of summer, all of the deck panels will be installed.  The asphalt driving surface and adjacent landscaping will be completed in the summer of 2018,” says Willems.

Bridging to Tomorrow project updates, including detailed monthly summaries, links to live cameras at each bridge site, and quarterly video updates, are available at saskatoon.ca/bridging.

In person, anyone can watch Traffic Bridge progress at the River Landing viewing area. North Commuter Parkway construction can be viewed from the Meewasin Trail just east of the cul-de-sac at the north end of Kinnear Avenue (north of Silverwood Golf Course).