Taylor and Preston Intersection to See Major Improvements

Beginning this Thursday, July 6, the City is undertaking major work to improve the safety and functionality of the intersection at Taylor Street and Preston Avenue. Based on a set of pre-defined criteria that includes collision history and average delays, this intersection was one identified as in need of improvements in 2017. The work is expected to take eight weeks.

“We’re very aware of how disruptive construction work at a major intersection like this can be, and we’ve planned the project in order to minimize the impacts as much as possible,” says Celene Anger, Director of Construction and Design. “We waited until school was out for construction to start, and we’re also undertaking the work in phases so we can keep one lane of traffic open in all directions at all times.”

The planned improvements to the intersection include:

• Construction of a dedicated left turning lane from Preston southbound onto Taylor to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.
• Construction of dedicated right turning lane from Taylor westbound onto Preston to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.
• Moving the island between the intersection and right turning lane from Preston southbound onto Taylor to create a bus bay. This will allow buses to pull out of the flow of traffic to pick up and drop off passengers.
• Improving the alignment of crosswalks for the ease and safety of pedestrians.
• Painting lane lines to improve safety and the road user experience.

Some of the other major intersections undergoing improvements this summer include 22nd Street and Diefenbaker Drive (now complete) and 51st Street and Warman Road. For more information about 2017 construction projects, visit saskatoon.ca/betterroads.