Major work on Circle Drive North bridge expected to tie up traffic in 2023

Some major rehabilitation work on a well-used bridge in Saskatoon will likely cause serious delays on Circle Drive next year.

Starting next year, city workers will start on a large-scale refurbishment on the Circle Drive North bridge. 

Terry Schmidt, director of transportation and construction said the work may be inconvenient, but it was important to perform maintenance on the 40-year-old structure.

"There will definitely be impacts to traffic, so residents may want to plan their trips accordingly," he said.

"We have the new Chief Mistawasis Bridge that opened up several years ago that could provide an alternate route, and I don't believe there's any other major bridge rehabilitation work planned on the other bridges in the downtown area."

Schmidt said crews plan to close down traffic on one half of the separated bridge while operating two-way traffic on the other half, then switching sides when needed.

So far, the city is still working to decide exactly what work will be performed on the bridge. As a result, it was too early to give an estimate on how much the project will cost.

Schmidt said it was also difficult to know exactly how long it will take to complete the project. He said the work will definitely take up all of the 2023 construction season and may need to stretch into 2024.

While he understands the work will be inconvenient, he said it's important the work be completed.

"It's very important to do maintenance on all our infrastructure in a timely manner to keep the to keep the infrastructure in the best condition possible," he said.

"As we undertake these types of preventative maintenance and maintenance schedules on a regular basis, it will help extend the life of the structure."

The pedestrian bridge under the bridge will not be affected by the construction.

Busy season

Meanwhile, Schmidt said 2022 has been a busy construction season, which officially wrapped up this week.

The city spent $64 million on road construction and maintenance this year, working on several kilometres of sidewalks and roadways.

Crews focused on refurbishing Circle Drive North this year, repaving the road's eastbound lanes while also working on deteriorated curbs and medians between Alberta and Millar Avenues.

As well, a right-hand turn was added to the southbound lane at the corner of Warman Road and 33rd Street, along with working on the Spadina Crescent Bridge.

Schmidt also noted that the city had replaced about 24 kilometres of water mains in the city's lead pipe replacement program.

He admitted there were complaints about work in some neighbourhoods dragging on for months longer than originally scheduled.

Schmidt said a number of factors led to construction delays including scheduling issues between contractors and subcontractors and dealing with utility issues.

"Thank you to the residents for your patience throughout the year," he said. 

"As we completed our construction projects with the detours and the impacts of construction, we very much appreciate that we did have some unexpected delays."