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As the 2025 construction season begins, the Government of Saskatchewan is reminding drivers to pay attention and be mindful as they pass through construction zones.
“We’re getting into our holiday season. This is the long weekend. Obviously people will be going to check their cabins or wanting to get out to the parks,” said David Marit, Saskatchewan’s highways minister.
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“They’re obviously carrying loved ones with them… be safe and really be cautious of the work zones and know what’s going on.”
Marit urged drivers to check the Saskatchewan Highway Hotline for construction zones and closures before hitting the road.
According to data from SGI, the province sees about 184 collisions in work zones each year, based on a five-year average between 2019 and 2023. Each year, 36 people per year are injured and one person dies due to crashes in construction areas.
Ministry sign truck operator Alex Pierrard said many drivers pay attention, slow down and move over to the other lane, but some don’t.
“All too often, we’ll see drivers come flying by us at full speed, sometimes far too close,” Pierrard said.
“I’ve had scenarios where I’ve literally had to pull a colleague back because they were about to get very close with traffic because those drivers weren’t doing what we asked them to – which is to slow down, move over and give us space.”
Pierrard said he hopes drivers will take an extra few seconds to slow down when driving past construction sites.
Chris Warren, director of roadways for the City of Regina, said dangerous incidents don’t just happen on the highways. They happen on urban roads too.
Recently, Warren said, a city worker was struck in the leg by an angry resident who accelerated into the worker after a confrontation at the intersection of Dagliesh Drive and Cole Street, where crews had closed the road for pavement work and sidewalk improvements.
“Thankfully, the worker was not seriously injured, but they could have been,” Warren said.
“They could have been seriously hurt, or even killed. Incidents like this are poignant reminders of both the physical and psychological damage that our workers can experience.”
Lorilee Davies, acting police chief of Regina Police Service, said distracted driving, cell phone use, speeding and impaired driving remain big issues on the roads, especially on long weekends when there’s more traffic.
“Typically, we tend to have a few more fatalities, and so (we’re) just really encouraging people to follow all safety rules, especially on a long weekend,” she said.
“Ensure that you’re not driving impaired by alcohol or drugs. And, as always, we will have officers out on our highways and city streets conducting enforcement to ensure that everybody is following those road rules.”
The Saskatoon Police Service said officers will be focusing on traffic safety in the Bridge City during a two-day enforcement blitz on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“This two-day initiative will take place at various locations in and around Saskatoon with enforcement focus relating to impaired driving, distracted driving, seatbelt use, speeding, unlicensed driving/vehicle registration and vehicle equipment regulations,” the police force said in a statement.
