A couple of Saskatoon’s busiest roads are scheduled for roadwork this summer. In a few weeks, work on the eastbound lanes of Circle Drive North between Alberta Avenue and Millar Avenue will begin. General Manager of Transportation and Construction, Terry Schmidt, cites that more than 56,000 vehicles of all sizes travel this area every day and it certainly shows. Next year the westbound lanes will be tackled.

Attridge Drive over Circle Drive will see preventative maintenance including repaving beginning in July. This is a road which sees about 64,000 vehicles a day. The Spadina Crescent Bridge between Queen Street and 25th Street will be closed for about a month beginning next week as the bridge deck, asphalt, concrete and security fencing underneath are rehabilitated or replaced.

Other high-profile road construction includes resurfacing on Warman Road over Circle Drive, and intersection improvements at Warman Road and 33rd Street. Schmidt says they will be adding a new turning lane there to better accommodate southbound traffic turning right onto 33rd Street. Annual street maintenance such as pothole and utility cut repairs, line painting and street sweeping are also underway.

Schmidt understands there will be traffic delays and detours all summer, as the City works to improve and clean up hundreds of kilometres of roads, and he thanks residents for their patience. This year’s work includes 186 kilometres of road construction, 500 lane kilometres of road lines and 600 crosswalks to be painted, 70 kilometres of sidewalk to improve, and 24 kilometres of water main and sewer main replacements and rehabilitations.

The budget for this year’s road and bridge construction and maintenance is $65.16-million.