Construction season underway in Saskatoon

Shovels are in the ground and construction season is underway in Saskatoon.

Over the course of the next few months, city crews will be busy filling potholes, fixing roads, repairing bridges and replacing aging water mains downtown.

Projects of note this year include construction on the Circle Drive North Bridge, which is already into the second month of a nine-month rehabilitation project, as well as the resurfacing of the westbound lanes of Circle Drive North between Millar Avenue and Alberta Avenue.

Terry Schmidt, the city’s general manager for transportation and construction, couldn’t point to one project that will really impact commutes this summer, but asked residents to look ahead to check what projects could be coming their way.

“We’ve got many major projects scheduled, so I would just encourage residents to go online and see what’s up to date on the construction schedule and the impacts it may have to your routes,” Schmidt said.

“If you feel you need to take alternate routes, that would be the place to do it.”

A total of $67.19 million has been set aside for construction projects this summer, and Schmidt said he expects all of that to be used, especially considering inflation.

“We’re seeing some higher-than-typical inflation rates this year, so we will deliver the entire budget and deliver as much of the planned program as we can with that budget,” Schmidt said.

There will be some street closures in place when water mains are replaced, but Schmidt said sidewalks will remain open so businesses can keep running without too much disruption.

“There will be pedestrian and traffic detours downtown and all throughout the city all summer,” he added.

The city asked those driving through or near a construction zone to slow down and obey all road signs.