As the City of Saskatoon gets into construction work for the year, water main projects are on the top of the list. The city will concentrate on replacing the oldest water mains. Terry Schmidt, General Manager of Transportation and Construction says many of the mains are more than 100 years old and have lead connections. He says the goal is to replace all outdated service connections by 2026.
For efficiency, water mains and service connections are replaced at the same time. The road is then completely resurfaced and repaved curb-to-curb and sidewalks are rehabilitated where necessary.
Sections of Nutana East, Nutana West, Caswell Hill, 20th Street West, Montgomery, Riversdale and Ruth Street East are among the areas where this type of work will take place. Approximately 23 kilometers of water and sewer mains will be replaced or rehabilitated this year and 820 water and sewer service connections are being replaced.
The emphasis on replacing the oldest water mains doesn’t mean street maintenance will be forgotten. Pothole repair, line painting and street sweeping are underway, and the City has 165 lane kilometers of road construction on the 2021 schedule.
Major projects will include resurfacing the east-bound lanes of College Drive from Central Avenue to the City limits, rehabilitating the overpass at Circle Drive and 8th Street, and resurfacing 8th Street from Broadway Avenue to Lorne Avenue. The city has budgeted about $65.5 million for streets, bridges and sidewalks.
