Saskatoon Construction season continuing smoothly, city says

City crews are making steady progress on major Saskatoon construction projects.

Terry Schmidt, Saskatoon’s general manager for transportation and construction, highlighted projects like the construction on Broadway Bridge.

“This definitely is the major one and we are on schedule to complete it by the end of October,” Schmidt said at a media event on Tuesday.

“There’s also work underway in the downtown area as well, that work is progressing well and on schedule to be completed this year as well.”

The Broadway Bridge construction will include new asphalt, waterproofing, traffic barriers and improvements to arches and railings.

It will also entail the removal of old and abandoned utilities beneath the structure, expansion joint replacement and newly poured concrete barriers to separate multi-use pathways from driving lanes.

“I think the cost estimates around $15 million, so it’s a very major project, not only for construction, but some of the impacts that we’ve been seeing too with changes to traffic operations,” Schmidt said.

The construction general manager said planning on major projects starts months or sometimes years in advance.

“On the major projects, there’s lots of pre-planning and lots of stakeholder engagement that goes on even before the projects begin. So that does help mitigate some of the concerns and address some of the issues before the construction begins,” he said.

Schmidt acknowledged the impact construction has on traffic.

“We thank the residents for their patience and their understanding. We have a very short window here in Saskatchewan to do construction, so there’s lots of activity,” Schmidt said.

“We work closely with our detours group and emergency services and transit to put detours in place that will help move traffic as efficiently and safely as possible.”

Schmidt said the city gathered lots of input on how to best address and support businesses during the bridge’s closure.

According to a news release, the city has replaced 3,724 lead service lines since 2016. These lines connect homes to the water main in the street.

A total of 1,187 lines remain, and full replacement remains on track for 2028. For 2025, the neighbourhoods expecting replacements are Nutana, Buena Vista, Riversdale, King George and Caswell Hill.

Roadways and Resurfacing projects

The City of Saskatoon also provided an update on the following roadways and resurfacing projects:

• 22nd Street from Hart Road to Neault Road – resurfacing complete;
• Cumberland Avenue South – between 5th Street and Adelaide Street –resurfacing complete;
• Marquis Drive and Marquis Drive offramp to Idylwyld Drive – Resurfacing Complete;
• 71st Street, and Idylwyld Drive southbound – Completion expected this week;
• Attridge Drive – resurfacing between late July and early August;
• Warman Road from 33rd Street to Circle Drive – resurfacing of northbound lanes planned for September;
• 8th Street East adjacent to Brighton – new road construction continues;
• Warman Road – pedestrian railway crossing at Assiniboine Drive and Link platform construction – ongoing.

Water and Sewer Upgrades

The City of Saskatoon said it was investing heavily in underground infrastructure to “improve reliability and support future development.”

• Downtown water and sewer rehabilitation – work on 23rd Street East between 3rd and 4th Avenue – water and sewer work complete; roadway work underway;
• Ruth Street, 4th Avenue North and 7th Avenue North – water main lining and access pit work ongoing;
• Cumberland Storm Pond & USask Dry Pond – storm pipe installation and excavation progressing well on both projects.

Land Development & Growth Projects

The city also provided an update on projects it stated were intended to support Saskatoon’s growth.

• Cartwright Street & Melville Street Sanitary Sewer Trunk – 50 per cent complete. A main artery pipeline for collecting wastewater from smaller sewer lines which supports Willows area development;
• Blairmore Primary Water Main – underway. Will serve future neighbourhood development;
• Brighton Storm Pond: 75 per cent complete. Collects storm water from the surrounding Brighton neighbourhoods and off 8th Street. Expected completion in mid-August;
• Aspen Ridge: Grading, water and sewer infrastructure as well as road work started August 2024 for future residential construction. Expected completion in August 2025; and,
• Hampton Village Business Park Storm Pond: 90 per cent complete. Will manage surface drainage runoff in Hampton Village. Started in April, with some grading work continuing into 2026.

In 2025, 11 station pads have been completed. Six are under construction and work on an additional four will begin within the next week.