Man claims Regina Bypass construction traffic is shaking his home to pieces

Lloyd Rogina says the Regina Bypass project has left his home in shambles.  

"I started experiencing the house trembling for not just a vehicle going by, but all day," Rogina told reporters at the Saskatchewan Legislature Wednesday.

Rogina's home and land is next to the Regina Bypass, off the Courtney Street extension south of Highway 1. Heavy trucks constantly haul loads along the road his home is built on. 

He said that over the last three years, his home has started breaking apart. He said doors don't fit in frames anymore, the foundation has shifted, there are cracks in the walls and mice are getting in.

"You can smell sewage from time to time, I think there's probably some issues there as well," he said. "The house has dropped probably a good inch-and-three-quarters on one end and it's separating from the addition."

He's resorted to using spray foam and stuffing rags in the holes to keep mice out. 

"Every time a vehicle goes down the road, you get acid flowing in your stomach because you think, 'Oh God, they're not doing anything about this,' " he said. "And they're not ... despite me phoning."

Rogina said he approached the RM of Sherwood about what's been happening and asked about changing the hauling route.

"That was on deaf ears as far as I was concerned," he said, adding he also spoke with someone from Regina Bypass Design Builders (RBDB).

"Picture yourself in the situation where you are shaken out of bed every morning or in the middle of the night. You can't open your windows. You go and barbecue, you take half an inch of dust off your barbecue."

Rogina said he put a lot of work into renovating his house prior to the Bypass project: a new metal roof, new flooring, new windows, a new well and a septic system.

"Certainly I would never do that to a house that was questionable as to its character," he said, adding that now walking on that floor is "like a springboard."

Rogina went to the opposition NDP for help. He said he wants the problem recognized. 

Highways Minister Lori Carr says the ministry is aware of Rogina's complaints, but maintains it's not the government's problem. She said it's between Rogina and the Regina Bypass Builders.

"They're working that out amongst the two parties. So it's something that's being done between the two of them and not the Ministry of Highways," Carr told reporters.

"Any situations that have come up, [RBDB has] acted quickly and they've taken care of things. So I have no doubt that this will be the same and they'll find a resolution that works for both of them in the end."

Meanwhile, Rogina said he "pretty much hates everyone" at this point.

"They're basically robbing from you, your livelihood. I mean, that's my life. After it's all said and done, the province is going to have a nice big road and I have a nice big bill to pay for."