Business owner satisfied with temporary fix to service road, but worries about down the road

“Acceptable” is how a Regina-area business owner characterized a temporary fix that is once again allowing traffic through on the road that goes past his greenhouse.

Regina Bypass Partners said light traffic is now allowed once again on the Highway 1 North Service Road, announcing in a post on X that small vehicles can pass through at reduced speeds.

Philip Rispens, co-owner of Sherwood Greenhouse and Garden Centre, said it’s great to have that temporary repair in place, but wishes it had happened sooner.

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“It’s something I think could have been done almost immediately after,” Rispens said. “It’s unfortunate that it had to take this much effort to try to get them to do something in the meantime, but it’s definitely good.”

In late June, a hole opened up in the road’s surface. As a result, a box culvert was in need of replacement. The bypass team said people could get to affected businesses like Rispen’s by taking the highway to the Pilot Butte exit and then doubling back.

It was an alternate route that a lot of people seemed to have trouble navigating. Rispens said at the time that the store was having trouble selling its seasonal inventory. The wet weather was also affecting people’s ability to attempt to use the Dewdney Avenue extension, which he said had become very muddy.

What concerns him now is looming construction to replace the culvert.

“I’m hoping they are thinking about another alternate route rather than the Pilot Butte overpass routes that we had to take before,” he said.

In a statement, a spokesperson said a target date has not yet been set for reconstruction of the box culvert.