News Releases

Starting at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday May 1, 2014, 11th Street West between Chappell Drive and Highway 7, will require lane restrictions to allow for testing to be conducted on the roadway. Within the vicinity of the testing, lanes will be restricted to one-way only, where flag people will direct traffic flow.

Lane restrictions are expected to be lifted by end of day Thursday, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through the orange zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find traffic detour information on our website at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic. You can also follow us on Twitter @cityofsaskatoon and with #betterroads and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

As part of a new initiative, the City of Saskatoon will be applying small plastic tags to black garbage carts across the city, which will allow the City to confirm garbage collection.

Each tag contains a barcode for our trucks to scan on collection day. The barcode links a resident’s garbage cart with their address and nothing more. The tags are similar to those used by Loraas Recycle to confirm blue cart collection of recycling.

These little tags will make a big difference in how we provide residents with this essential service:

- The assigned tag and barcode will confirm when carts have been emptied, helping us avoid missed collections. Missed collections are estimated to cost Saskatoon taxpayers $155,000 a year.

- We will be able to track and record carts that require repair or replacement, ensuring that a resident’s black garbage cart is always ready for use.

“This little tag will let us make a big improvement in how we provide this service to people across the City,” says Brenda Wallace, Director of Environmental and Corporate Initiatives. “Our initial research suggests that this entire project could save the City approximately $200,000 per year, and we are hoping for even more savings in the future.”

In order to get carts tagged, the City is asking residents to make sure theirs and neighbours’ black garbage carts are out until 5 p.m. on the scheduled collection day, giving our crews time to apply the new tag to the cart.

If you have any questions about these tags or how they work, learn more at saskatoonrecycles.ca or call (306) 975-2486.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

The Spring Pothole and Spring Street Sweeping Blitzes resumed in full force on Wednesday upon the return of warmer weather and dry streets. The moisture from the rain and snow over the past week and a half prevented us from performing much of the planned sweeping and interrupted the repairing of potholes.  The snow, rain, cooler temperatures and frost coming out of the ground caused many new potholes to develop on all Saskatoon streets. 

Spring Pothole Blitz

The City has been repairing potholes along the high-traffic streets since the start of the Spring Pothole Blitz on April 14.  As a result of the recent snow/rain and cooler temperatures, many of those same streets are littered with new holes.  Standing water on the streets has a significant impact on the formation of new potholes. In order to make up for the delays due to weather interruptions, additional City and contractor crews will be engaged for the next two weeks patching potholes in the driving lanes of the priority one and two streets.  A schedule is available for the Spring Pothole Blitz on the City’s website.

The online Report-a-Pothole map usage was up 40 per cent over the past seven days, as the collection of potholes grew.  We thank those who are reporting these locations and remind everyone to please call the Customer Service Call Centre to report the dangerous locations so that we may address them immediately.

“The blitz program for patching potholes in the driving lanes of the major streets and bus routes is designed to improve the safety and ride comfort of motorists,” says Director of Public Works Pat Hyde.  “Tackling these existing and new locations that arise will prove to be a benefit for all.” 

Gravel-covered areas from construction and water main breaks (Utility Cuts)

Asphalt patching is occurring along priority streets where water main breaks occurred over the winter months.  Other gravel-covered areas caused by construction or other underground utility work will be repaired beginning in June.  The utility cuts on the priority streets are monitored daily.  Maintenance grading is performed as required and in many cases is done daily.  Graders will continue to maintain these gravel areas until they can be permanently repaired with asphalt.  Residents are reminded to please call our Customer Service Call Centre at 306-975-2476 to report utility cuts that are severely rutted.  

 Your Tax Dollars at Work – Building Better Roads

Part of the new 4.29% dedicated tax levy is for improved roadway repairs and maintenance.  Residents and businesses will see improvements as a result of an additional $605,000 for the street sweeping program which includes the Spring Street Sweeping Blitz and the Accelerated Residential Sweeping programs; and an additional $550,000 for the Spring Pothole Blitz program. Learn more about Building Better Roads.

Spring Street Sweeping Blitz

Prior to moving into the residential areas, City and contract street sweeping crews are cleaning up along the high-traffic priority streets.  Since April 14, the focus has been sweeping centre medians where grass or trees are located, in order to promote growth and improve street aesthetics, and as well sweeping on the priority one and two streets.  The moisture over the past week also impacted and delayed this program. Extra staff are being assigned and contractors were called in to help move the sweeping along.

The Spring Sweeping Blitz is designed as a quick pass through in order to remove the heavier dirt and debris so that once the Accelerated Residential Area Sweep program commences later in May, it will enable a more effective and complete curb-to-curb sweep program.  As a result during the Spring Sweeping Blitz the sweepers will be going around parked vehicles and focus mainly on the driving lanes of the roadway. 

Accelerated Residential Street Sweeping and Pothole Patching

Upon completion of the Spring Sweeping Blitz, the Accelerated Residential Area Street Sweeping program begins.  This is designed as a six week program where every street will be swept curb-to-curb by neighbourhood including the business improvement districts and also those streets that were done during the Spring blitz.  This program will also see applied for the first time a city wide application of parking enforcement.  This will include both a relocation towing and a $100 fine that will be applied for parking on a scheduled street.  The yellow ‘sandwich style’ No Parking signs will be used during day time operations and augmented with yellow replica paper signs throughout the program where on-street vehicle parking is an issue. 

Weather permitting, the scheduled start of the program is Monday, May 12.  Further information and schedules will be provided closer to the launch date of the Accelerated Residential Area Street Sweeping program.

Schedules and more information are available at saskatoon.ca as part of the Building Better Roads campaign.  Saskatoon’s Road Plan is a coordinated approach to repair, maintenance and construction, Building Better Roads in Saskatoon.

The Neighbourhood Level Infill Strategy (Strategy) made recommendations to address concerns regarding infill development that is currently occurring in established residential areas within Saskatoon. The Strategy recommended amending the development standards contained in the City of Saskatoon’s (City) Zoning Bylaw No. 8770 for primary dwellings (one-unit, two-unit, and semi-detached dwellings), and small multi-unit dwellings (up to four units) on corner lots.  The Planning and Development Division is proposing changes to the Zoning Bylaw that will ensure that these types of infill development are more compatible with existing residential development.

Residents are invited to attend a “come and go” open house to learn more about the proposed bylaw regulations, including development standards, design guidelines, and the approval process.  Civic staff will be in attendance to answer questions, gather feedback, and provide materials.

Open House for the Proposed Regulations for Primary Dwellings and Small Multiple-Unit Dwellings on Corners Lots
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
City Park Collegiate – Student Commons
820 9th Avenue North

Following the open house, background and information materials will also be available on www.saskatoon.ca, click “I” for Infill Development Strategy, along with the opportunity for residents to submit comments online.

The Strategy is one component of the overall Growing Forward! Shaping Saskatoon project to help guide investments to accommodate Saskatoon’s growth to half a million people.
For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours, and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

- 30 –

Having fulfilled their purpose and as part of the agreement with the artists, two short term art installations, Found Compressions One and Two and INFRA are being removed today, April 30, 2014.

Intended as a short-term installation, Found Compressions One and Two, by Saskatoon artist Keeley Haftner, is a sculpture of two cube-shaped cellophane wrapped bales of recyclable materials.

“The artwork has realized its full potential in terms of generating dialogue,” Haftner says and adds she now wants to think about a venue to show a new rendition of the work to discuss the project in its entirety.

INFRA, by Toronto artist Tonya Hart, was originally installed November 2013, on College Drive near Bottomley Avenue and was later relocated to the Cameco Meewasin Skating Rink.  The artwork is a group of sculptures comprised of eight life-sized wolves created with fiberglass.  A fluorescent pigment gives the wolves their bright colours during the day and LED lighting provides their glow at night.

Both installations were placed within the City as part of our Placemaker Program, which aims to promote contemporary arts in a public space, by leasing artworks from the artist. The artwork is adjudicated by the City of Saskatoon’s Visual Arts Placement Jury.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.