Saskatoon city crews have been hard at work and residents have noticed, saying it seems like every day there’s a new street blocked off.
“There are things that are being done this year that are over and above the norm. I would say the work related to the Link system or the BRT system,” said Matt Jurkiewicz, construction and design director for the city of Saskatoon.
It’s hard to not hit a detour driving around the city, with many projects currently active on major roads like Circle Drive, Wanuskewin Road, College Drive, and the University Bridge.
“It’s not just willy-nilly. We’re using data and we’re trying to be systematic in the work that we do. And a lot of stuff that we do also centres around, like, we’re not going to repave a road if the pipes need to be fixed underground first,” said Jurkiewicz.
“So, we focus on fixing the underground infrastructure.”
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With College closed for construction on the new bus rapid transit system, some people have been having a hard time accessing the Royal University Hospital.
In the same area, Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan, who houses families from outside of the city, says there have been challenges.
“When they see the barricades and they see the fences, if they’re walking over to the hospital, they’re wondering if they can get through,” said Tammy Forrester, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan. “So we’ve had to navigate some of those conversations.”
With much of the work being on major roads, the city has been looking to do a lot of it overnight, including paving on Circle Drive, to mitigate traffic for commuters and contractors during the day.
“I think folks will be able to see and expect more of the work on these busy roads to start happening overnight in the coming years,” said Jurkiewicz.
The city is reminding drivers to keep an eye out for signage and detours to keep city workers safe.
Watch the video above for more on how people are getting around the construction.
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