News Releases

Major improvements are in store for some of Saskatoon’s most travelled roadways during the 2022 construction season. This year, the City has earmarked approximately $65.16 million for road and bridge construction and maintenance. One of the most significant construction zones will be set up in a few weeks on Circle Drive North between Alberta Avenue and Millar Avenue.

“More than 56,000 vehicles of all sizes travel over this section of Circle Drive every day and it certainly shows,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction.  “The east bound lanes will be resurfaced and there will be concrete improvements on the medians and curbs. We will return next year to resurface the west bound lanes to avoid major traffic disruptions on both sides at the same time.”

Attridge Drive over Circle Drive will be another high traffic road under construction. Beginning in July, the 22-year-old overpass that approximately 64,000 vehicles travel on daily, will undergo preventative maintenance, like repaving, to make sure it lasts for years to come. The Spadina Crescent Bridge, between Queen Street and 25^th Street, is proof that preventative maintenance over the years contributes to the longevity of City assets. The 90-year-old bridge, that about 16,000 vehicles travel over every day, will be fully closed for approximately one month beginning next week as the bridge deck, asphalt, concrete, and security fencing underneath are rehabilitated or replaced.

“Other high-profile road construction locations include resurfacing on Warman Road over Circle Drive, and intersection improvements at Warman Road and 33^rd Street. Plans include adding a new turning lane to better accommodate south bound traffic on Warman Road turning right onto 33^rd Street,” says Schmidt.

Road and sidewalk improvements will be noticeable in some of Saskatoon’s most established residential neighbourhoods too, like King George, Nutana, and North Downtown. Those improvements are completed at the same time as water main and lead service line connection replacements. The City’s goal is to have all lead service line connections replaced by 2027.

Annual street maintenance such as pothole and utility cut repairs, line painting and street sweeping are also underway.

“There will be traffic delays and detours throughout Saskatoon all summer as we work to improve and clean up hundreds of kilometers of roads within a relatively short period of time. We thank residents for their patience and encourage drivers to please slow down and respect work zones.”

For more information on current and future construction, please visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

Substantial improvements have been made to Saskatoon’s road network in recent years and remain a focus for the City. Ensuring the infrastructure underneath the roads continues to last for years to come, is just as high on the priority list. In this construction season, the City will continue to push forward on replacing Saskatoon’s oldest water mains.

“We’ll be in several neighbourhoods to replace water mains that, in many cases, are more than 100 years old and have lead water service connections,” says Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction. “Our goal is to replace all outdated service connections in the city by 2026.”

For efficiency, water mains and service connections are replaced at the same time. The road is then completely resurfaced and repaved curb-to-curb and sidewalks are rehabilitated wherever necessary. Sections of Nutana East, Nutana West, Caswell Hill, 20th Street West, Montgomery, Riversdale and Ruth Street East are among the areas where this type of work will take place. Approximately 23 kilometers of water and sewer mains will be replaced or rehabilitated this year and 820 water and sewer service connections are being replaced.

Annual street maintenance activities such as pothole repair, line painting and street sweeping are underway, and the City has 165 lane kilometers of road construction on the 2021 schedule. Major projects will include resurfacing the east bound lanes of College Drive from Central Avenue to the City limits, rehabilitating the overpass at Circle Drive and 8th Street, and resurfacing 8th Street from Broadway Avenue to Lorne Avenue.

“We’re making great strides, thanks to City Council’s investment of approximately $63.5 million to make our streets, bridges and sidewalks smoother, safer and longer lasting,” says Schmidt. “We are also thankful for Gas Tax Fund dollars for water, stormwater and wastewater projects as well as Municipal Economic Enhancement Program funds for road safety improvements, road rehabilitation, neighbourhood traffic safety upgrades and sidewalk rehabilitation.”

With safety always at the forefront, the City is ensuring employees and contractors continue to adhere to COVID-19 protocols at all construction sites.

To stay informed and learn more about construction projects throughout Saskatoon this year, visit saskatoon.ca/construction.

The City of Saskatoon has a responsibility to conserve water and, along with the community, has identified it as an important measure to reduce greenhouse gases, care for the environment, and lower water utility bills.

The Water Conservation Strategy, which has been in the works for two years and informed by public engagement, encourages conservation through a variety of methods. The report will go before the City’s Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee on Monday.

“The Strategy is a roadmap of actions to help residents and City operations achieve many benefits from water conservation, like managing water costs, improving resiliency, and limiting environmental impacts”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “Some of these actions include reducing peak summer use to ease demand on infrastructure, reducing water used in the City’s own operations to save costs, and showing residents and businesses ways that they can change their water use to reduce their utility bills.”

Water reduction targets were established in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce future water infrastructure expansion costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Although per capita water use in Saskatoon has been on a downward trend as residents have realized the benefits of conservation, recent data shows more efforts in all parts of the community and in the City’s own operations are necessary. 

“The intent of this strategy is to prioritize the initiatives, develop programs based on priorities, implement those initiatives as funding becomes available, and monitor progress and refine assumptions to keep the Water Conservation Strategy current,” says South.

Some water conservation initiatives underway include improving City water use in parks and other areas of operations, residential water use education, and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) building energy and efficiency retrofit program.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/waterconservation.

The City of Saskatoon has a responsibility to conserve water and, along with the community, has identified it as an important measure to reduce greenhouse gases, care for the environment, and lower water utility bills.

The Water Conservation Strategy, which has been in the works for two years and informed by public engagement, encourages conservation through a variety of methods. The report will go before the City’s Environment, Utilities, and Corporate Services Committee on Monday.

“The Strategy is a roadmap of actions to help residents and City operations achieve many benefits from water conservation, like managing water costs, improving resiliency, and limiting environmental impacts”, says Jeanna South, Director of Sustainability. “Some of these actions include reducing peak summer use to ease demand on infrastructure, reducing water used in the City’s own operations to save costs, and showing residents and businesses ways that they can change their water use to reduce their utility bills.”

Water reduction targets were established in the Low Emissions Community Plan to reduce future water infrastructure expansion costs and greenhouse gas emissions. Although per capita water use in Saskatoon has been on a downward trend as residents have realized the benefits of conservation, recent data shows more efforts in all parts of the community and in the City’s own operations are necessary. 

“The intent of this strategy is to prioritize the initiatives, develop programs based on priorities, implement those initiatives as funding becomes available, and monitor progress and refine assumptions to keep the Water Conservation Strategy current,” says South.

Some water conservation initiatives underway include improving City water use in parks and other areas of operations, residential water use education, and the Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (ICI) building energy and efficiency retrofit program.

For more information, please visit saskatoon.ca/waterconservation.