Saskatoon Freeway (Proposed)

[Dengler Avenue]

The full study’s here: https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...riefing-1.html. Credits to Wyku for sharing the link.

Lately there’s been some fuzz about the proposed new ring road around Saskatoon. Any thoughts, updates, just jot them down here.

[craner]

Well ... Regina has the bi-pass now so why not Saskatoon ?
I would be excited to see it built.

[Dengler Avenue]

The idea of going through the swale really turns me off this time though. I need to carefully go through all the pictures to see what amends can be made.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

The idea of going through the swale really turns me off this time though. I need to carefully go through all the pictures to see what amends can be made.

Doesn't I-75 go through the Everglades? Going through this swale area should be easy by comparison.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Corndogger

Doesn't I-75 go through the Everglades? Going through this swale area should be easy by comparison.

It does. In fact, some of the freeways in Ontario go through wetlands too. It doesn’t mean that’s the right thing to do though. Like I said, I need to take a look at all the pictures first.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

It does. In fact, some of the freeways in Ontario go through wetlands too. It doesn’t mean that’s the right thing to do though. Like I said, I need to take a look at all the pictures first.

My point is that it can be done without causing damage. There are plenty of examples of such roads.

[Dengler Avenue]

I was just reading this (which was from the 90’s): https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.sun-...story,amp.html.

I guess it’s possible. We’ll see.

[jigglysquishy]

Don't want it. Don't need it. The Saskatoon Freeway, along with the Regina Bypass, are F tier stupidity.

A diagusting and shameful waste of money.

[Pinus]

Originally Posted by djforsberg

You really think a highway in Florida, a state that has banned the use of the phrase “climate change”, didn’t cause ecological damage?

Wow. They actually ban that term, as well as "global warming".

And yet so many Canadians still want to strive to be like 'Murca

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Pinus

Wow. They actually ban that term, as well as "global warming".

And yet so many Canadians still want to strive to be like 'Murca

I was a bit skeptical too.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by jigglysquishy

Don't want it. Don't need it. The Saskatoon Freeway, along with the Regina Bypass, are F tier stupidity.

A diagusting and shameful waste of money.

I partly agree. It's no less important to put money towards education, health care and other modes of transportation. Good work on one of the BRT routes (not so much the other one because there will be no dedicated bus lanes).

Keeping the flow of goods uninterrupted is also important though. I'm guessing Saskatoon has grown to the point that Circle Drive's no longer cutting it.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that there are 2 major trade corridors crossing Saskatoon - the 11 from Prince Albert to Regina (then to the states via 6 & 39, which is another topic), and the 16 across the Prairies. If MHI wanna keep goods flowing well on both routes, what's a good (if not the best) way to do it? A ring from Yellowhead west to Yellowhead east. (I don't think the southeastern portion of the ring is needed - eliminating the at-grade intersections on the Yellowhead and upgrading the 11/16 interchange in the south-end will do.)

=====

Seriously though, alternative 4? That's like giving commuters from Martensville and Warman a big middle finger. Just because we will have a ring road, it doesn't mean we can now revert the roads leading in and out of the city back to 2 lanes. If anything, we need to have an overpass over 71st Street then an interchange with Marquis Drive. The same applies to Highway 16 west as well.

As for the Swale issue, I think MHI should just tunnel that section of the outer ring road to preserve it.

Link: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc...=rep1&type=pdf

[Wyku]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Seriously though, alternative 4? That's like giving commuters from Martensville and Warman a big middle finger. Just because we will have a ring road, it doesn't mean we can now revert the roads leading in and out of the city back to 2 lanes. If anything, we need to have an overpass over 71st Street then an interchange with Marquis Drive. The same applies to Highway 16 west as well.

The way they're so heavily weighting the Wanuskewin Rd. connection is really baffling--what was it, 52% of traffic flows that way? So lets just ignore the other 48% that doesn't? I don't get the desire to pair down the Idylwyld 4-lane connections to 2-lanes either--besides destroying the Highway 11 traffic flow, everyone coming into/out of the city on the #12 (which there is already a lot of and would only be more by the time this thing is build, if ever) no longer will with the freeway in place or something? It would go from a 4-lane highway to a 2-lane overpass to a 4-lane freeway...

[The Bess]

Not really ring road news but same pile

https://thestarphoenix.com/news/loca...ortheast-swale

[Pardot Kynes]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

The full study’s here: https://www.documentcloud.org/docume...riefing-1.html. Credits to Wyku for sharing the link.

Lately there’s been some fuzz about the proposed new ring road around Saskatoon. Any thoughts, updates, just jot them down here.

That study only looks at routing options for the freeway. There is no information on when the freeway might actually be needed, or if it is even the most effective solution.

[Dengler Avenue]

Even if not now, we will need it later, so it’s probably good to at least reserve the ROW right now. Otherwise, the city grows too big, and the cheapest option will be to actually demolish every single property abutting Circle Drive and converting it to a real freeway. I mean, personally I’m not against this option.

[Corndogger]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

Even if not now, we will need it later, so it’s probably good to at least reserve the ROW right now. Otherwise, the city grows too big, and the cheapest option will be to actually demolish every single property abutting Circle Drive and converting it to a real freeway. I mean, personally I’m not against this option.

Reserving the ROW now is a no-brainer. The large TUCs (transportation utility corridors) that the Alberta government setup around Edmonton and Calgary decades ago have helped immensely in minimizing expropriation costs for the 216 and 201, respectively.

[Dengler Avenue]

Some updates on proposed Saskatoon Freeway

https://saskatoonfreeway.org/phase-1/

Reposted from the New Interchange/Bypass Thread, comments by The Bess

[Dengler Avenue]

I was looking at Google Maps Satellite View and chanced upon U.S. Route 6 through Omaha, NE. From the looks of it, it used to run at-grade between NE 120th Street and I-680 as W Dodge Road. Then NEDOT built viaducts over the at-grade portion so U.S. Route 6 can be completely free-flowing from the west end of Omaha to I-680. With that in mind, why not do something like that to address the at-grade intersections on the western portion of Circle Drive? There may seem to be little space around the interchange with Louis Riel Trail North and Yellowhead Highway West but that’s how engineering marvels are born. After that, interchanges at Marquis Drive and at Highway 394 will just be a child’s play.

[Spocket]

I completely don't understand the logic with this freeway. Putting aside whether or not somebody thinks it's a waste of money, is unnecessary or whatever, why doesn't it directly connect highways 11 and 16? The entire southwest section of the freeway doesn't seem to be in the plans but wouldn't that be just about the busiest section? Am I wrong about that?

Given that I'm not a Saskatoon native and haven't been there in decades, I'm completely out of touch with the rationale here but that just seems so counterintuitive. I would have thought the busiest highways would have been 11 and 16. Is that not the case? I mean, outside of the Saskatoon metro region of course. Considering that the idea is that ring roads are supposed to funnel traffic around a city rather than through it, wouldn't it be the most logical route from 11 northwest to 16 as the shortest route? I know the land through this area isn't good for residential construction and was pegged for industrial but that can't be the main reason this section isn't being considered...or is it?

[Arts]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

...With that in mind, why not do something like that to address the at-grade intersections on the western portion of Circle Drive?

Money. I'm sure it is on the very long term radar but is WAY down the priority list. These three locations (Airport, Laurier, and Clancy) don't even have enough traffic to really justify the cost of grade separation, and I'm actually surprised the Laurier one hasn't been made RIRO (Right-in, Right-out only) by now.