Saskatoon Roads & Infrastructure

[North_Regina_Boy]

Saskatoon Road Construction / Infrastructure:

List below of Current and Completed Projects

Central Ave (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...onalStudy.aspx

Circle Drive South Project (Completed Sep 2013)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...thProject.aspx

Boychuck Highway 16 Interchange (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...terchange.aspx

North Commuter Parkway Project (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...erParkway.aspx

Highway 7 / 14 Interchange (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...terchange.aspx

McCormand Highway 5 Interchange (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...terchange.aspx

Highway 11 Stonebridge Overpass (Partial Design Council Approved, Construction Expected 2014)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...terchange.aspx

Traffic Bridge (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...ntProject.aspx

Idylwyld and Circle Drive Interchange Improvements (Council Approved)

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...riveStudy.aspx

New Neighborhoods:

Evergreen:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...Evergreen.aspx

Rosewood:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/.../Rosewood.aspx

Kensington:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...ensington.aspx

Aspen Ridge:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...spenridge.aspx

Hampton Village:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...20Village.aspx

[macca]

I can't think of anything more appropriately "Saskatoon" than having a thread dedicated to fantasy road construction.

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by macca

I can't think of anything more appropriately "Saskatoon" than having a thread dedicated to fantasy road construction.

Well better to have it here where you can choose to ignore it rather then cluttering up the Saskatoon Construction Thread.

[macca]

Yes, I appreciate it.

[North_Regina_Boy]

Hypothetical Design Only

Here are the drawings I promised earlier. These are more detailed drawings with lanes and traffic patterns shown. Please feel free to ask questions / or make suggestions.

22nd Street Access, not much has changed however the SB Circle to EB 22nd Has changed, also there is now a dedicated exit lane for cars and trucks making a right to SB Circle from EB 22nd, also right turns are now controlled by a traffic light timed so that there is no impeding traffic. The lane that feeds the NB Circle Drive loop is now separate from the Circle Drive Southbound turn lane. Vehicles going from WB 22nd to NB Circle Drive can no longer cut across to get to Laurier. Same with people attemping to do the same from Clancy across to 22nd ramp. Pedestrian crossing have been turned into overpasses to maintain cycling and pedestrian access.



Neighborhood access, Orange for North of 22nd / Purple for South of 22nd. Also fairlight drive now gives direct access to SB Circle without having to go to 22nd, lessening traffic on 22nd. Traffic can continue NB on the access ramp while vehicles on Laurier and Clancy make left turns to join flow of traffic. Similar to how Circle Drive operates now. Three lanes each way between Laurier and 33rd to facilitate proper merging.



The overpasses that allow neighborhood access.



ROAD CONSTRUCTION STAGING:

PRE-STAGE - RELOCATE POWER AND UTILITY LINES

STAGE 1 – CONSTRUCT NEW ROAD BRIDGE OVER 22ND
STAGE 2 – CONSTRUCT LANES EAST OF LAURIER CONNECT TO CIRCLE DRIVE NORTH OF LAURIER AND CONNECT TO NEW BRIDGE / CONSTRUCT NEW RAMP FROM WB 22ND TO NB CIRCLE
STAGE 3 – CONSTRUCT DETOUR AT CLANCY
STAGE 4 – BUILD NEW OVERPASS AT CLANCY / AFTER COMPLETE REMOVE DETOUR CONNECT NEW ROADWAYS WITH EXISTING RAMPS / CONSTRUCT FAIRLIGHT DR TO CIRCLE DRIVE SB CONNECTION

**CLANCY DR FULLY OPEN TO TRAFFIC**

STAGE 5 – REMOVE RAMP FROM FAIRMONT TO 22ND CREATE NEW RIGHT TURN LANE FROM EB 22ND TO SB CIRCLE
STAGE 6 – CLOSE CIRCLE DRIVE TRAFFIC TO LAURIER OPEN RAMPS AND DIRECT NORTHBOUND TRAFFIC TO NEW 22ND STREET BRIDGE AND TO NEW BYPASS RAMP SB CIRCLE DRIVE TRAFFIC DETOURED TO CONFEDERATION DR TO EXISTING SOUTHBOUND CIRCLE DRIVE RAMP
STAGE 7 – BUILD OVERPASS AT LAURIER

**LAURIER DR FULLY OPEN TO TRAFFIC**

STAGE 8 – COMPLETE FINAL TIE-INS
STAGE 9 – CONSTRUCT PEDESTRIAN OVERPASSES

[saskatoonborn]

Hey I love the drawings and the plan in general. This is great work. Have you considered using laurier the EB acess for 22nd. I was just curious as to your reason for using fairlight?

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by saskatoonborn

Hey I love the drawings and the plan in general. This is great work. Have you considered using laurier the EB acess for 22nd. I was just curious as to your reason for using fairlight?

Thanks for the comments. I think that both can be used for EB 22nd Access. Reasoning for Fairlight is because it is more familiar for people to take that turn to get to where they are going. But to label both as 22nd EB Access would be a good idea, and would lessen the traffic volume for people going EB 22nd to NB / SB Circle Drive.

[wacko]

I'm from Regina, and I don't often drive elsewhere in the province. However, the last three days I was driving in and through Saskatoon for work, so I thought I'd pass on my observations.

Getting to the downtown office was easy via the College Drive bridge (which I've since learned is actually called University Bridge). However, turning right onto Idylwyld from 25th Street was awkward, since I had to watch for potential trains as well as oncoming traffic, while taking care not to stay on the tracks. Railway tracks simply shouldn't ever be located that close to a road, especially at an intersection.

Coming back from Lloydminster yesterday, I thought I'd try out Circle Drive West. Firstly though, I have to state that the intersection with Idylwyld North remains the clusterfuck it's always been. Maybe it was the time of day (about 12:30 pm) but there was quite a number of vehicles waiting to turn left or right onto Circle Drive. By far the best solution would be for the city to expropriate all surrounding land, raze everything, and construct a proper interchange from scratch, but of course that will never happen.

Once past the lights, Circle Drive West was actually pretty nice to drive on, breezing along at 90 kph. Though I must ask, what's up with the at-grade intersection at Laurier Drive? The bends in the vicinity of 11th Street were also rather interesting.

After Valley Road, a third lane appears, which might be somewhat confusing for out-of-towners. They might decide to move right to allow faster traffic to go by, only to later find they have to move back left, and then left again to stay on Circle Drive to Hwy 11. From a traffic flow perspective, it would've been better to have two lanes continuing east with a seamless connection with Circle Drive East, while building another full interchange with Idylwyld. But of course that's a pipe dream also.

[Arts]

Originally Posted by wacko

I'm from Regina, and I don't often drive elsewhere in the province. However, the last three days I was driving in and through Saskatoon for work, so I thought I'd pass on my observations.

Getting to the downtown office was easy via the College Drive bridge (which I've since learned is actually called University Bridge). However, turning right onto Idylwyld from 25th Street was awkward, since I had to watch for potential trains as well as oncoming traffic, while taking care not to stay on the tracks. Railway tracks simply shouldn't ever be located that close to a road, especially at an intersection.

Coming back from Lloydminster yesterday, I thought I'd try out Circle Drive West. Firstly though, I have to state that the intersection with Idylwyld North remains the clusterfuck it's always been. Maybe it was the time of day (about 12:30 pm) but there was quite a number of vehicles waiting to turn left or right onto Circle Drive. By far the best solution would be for the city to expropriate all surrounding land, raze everything, and construct a proper interchange from scratch, but of course that will never happen.

Once past the lights, Circle Drive West was actually pretty nice to drive on, breezing along at 90 kph. Though I must ask, what's up with the at-grade intersection at Laurier Drive? The bends in the vicinity of 11th Street were also rather interesting.

After Valley Road, a third lane appears, which might be somewhat confusing for out-of-towners. They might decide to move right to allow faster traffic to go by, only to later find they have to move back left, and then left again to stay on Circle Drive to Hwy 11. From a traffic flow perspective, it would've been better to have two lanes continuing east with a seamless connection with Circle Drive East, while building another full interchange with Idylwyld. But of course that's a pipe dream also.

Nice to see another well thought out perspective, I'll take the opportunity to comment on your points:

As for at grade rail crossing, well that certainly is undesirable, especially at an intersection. Grade separation was not in the budget so the transportation planning group spent some time determining the best alignment for this intersection - either way the rail line posed a major dilemna. I think the final location is a bit of an experiment and I think it will need tweaking in the years to come, but the rail line will be there for a long time.

Interchange improvements at Idylwyld Dr N is a priority for the city, last I heard they are planning on turning that into a single point intersection in the not so distant future - appropriating the adjacent parcels is likely not in the cards (budget).

I agree that the at grade intersections along Circle Dr W are problematic. They are also largely unnecessary, but removal of left turns would divert that traffic to 11th St and Confederation Dr. The interchange at Confed is a bit of a mess so that will be a bit of a nightmare. There is a planned overpass at Airport Dr - once all these traffic lights are removed Circle Dr W will flow very well.

As to the curves near 11th st, that is what happens when you have to route around existing infrastructure, but atleast they were able to separate the grade of the rail lines there.

As for the interchange of Circle Dr S and Idylwyld, it is a bit of a mess and it is not long enough of a stretch for proper weaving, but at some point 4 lanes of traffic must reduce to two, I agree that if a WB lane off Circle Dr flew over and connected to NB Idylwyld Dr it would make for a contiguous flow, however if drivers have a difficulty with that location already, it would mean that a lot of people would be unwittingly getting headed towards downtown (like downtown needs more bad drivers!).

[wacko]

Thanks for the explanations, that helps to know what's going on.

I actually used to live in Saskatoon for two years, but that was well before I started driving. However, I can empathize with Saskatonians' frustrations over the at-grade commercial access along Circle Drive North, which really slows down travel. Hope we in Regina aren't about to make similar dumb mistakes by adding more at-grade access points along 9th Ave N as development moves west.

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by wacko

Thanks for the explanations, that helps to know what's going on.

I actually used to live in Saskatoon for two years, but that was well before I started driving. However, I can empathize with Saskatonians' frustrations over the at-grade commercial access along Circle Drive North, which really slows down travel. Hope we in Regina aren't about to make similar dumb mistakes by adding more at-grade access points along 9th Ave N as development moves west.

Yes that would be an incredibly DUMB thing to do. It should (after the west bypass is finished) by finished as a limited access from Pasqua to the WRB. With interchanges at Pasqua, McIntosh, McCarthy, Courtney and Pinky.

[Arts]

Originally Posted by wacko

Thanks for the explanations, that helps to know what's going on.

I actually used to live in Saskatoon for two years, but that was well before I started driving. However, I can empathize with Saskatonians' frustrations over the at-grade commercial access along Circle Drive North, which really slows down travel. Hope we in Regina aren't about to make similar dumb mistakes by adding more at-grade access points along 9th Ave N as development moves west.

As a saskatonian that lived on the west side of Regina for four years, I agree, Circle Dr N is a mess, it is too bad our city lacked the forethought to prevent it. Hopefully having a commuter bridge north of there, and possibly even an additional perimeter hwy bridge in the distant future will help alleviate the traffic woes there. It would be a pity if planners or council in Regina allowed local and driveway access to 9th ave/Ring rd.

[Treesplease]

I was also in Saskatoon recently and took South Circle a couple times - once was actually on purpose. I was in Stonebridge and got back on circle south via Clarence and had no intention of going over the new bridge and way around the west side but that's were I went - can't get to Idylwyld north from the Clarence interchange - now I know. The new south route is really nice and I can see the frustration with the at grade crossings for Clancy and Laurier but it is easy to see that they won't be around for long (maybe). One thing I found odd was the underpasses under the rail crossings at 11th - they are two lanes wide with a two lane road underneath. I would have thought a little forward planning might have made the openings at least wide enough to accommodate a 3 lane road in the future but nope - two lanes is all it will ever be. How much traffic will valley road ever feed onto the third lane of the bridge? Maybe if it someday becomes the effective bypass for Highway 7?

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by Treesplease

I was also in Saskatoon recently and took South Circle a couple times - once was actually on purpose. I was in Stonebridge and got back on circle south via Clarence and had no intention of going over the new bridge and way around the west side but that's were I went - can't get to Idylwyld north from the Clarence interchange - now I know. The new south route is really nice and I can see the frustration with the at grade crossings for Clancy and Laurier but it is easy to see that they won't be around for long (maybe). One thing I found odd was the underpasses under the rail crossings at 11th - they are two lanes wide with a two lane road underneath. I would have thought a little forward planning might have made the openings at least wide enough to accommodate a 3 lane road in the future but nope - two lanes is all it will ever be. How much traffic will valley road ever feed onto the third lane of the bridge? Maybe if it someday becomes the effective bypass for Highway 7?

You can go Northbound Idylwyld from Clarence, just stay in right lane and follow it around the back of the Circle Drive overpass.

Yes maybe 3-lanes under 11th would of been good but at least with 2 (each way) it should be good for many years (although I agree adding space for a 3rd would of been advantageous)

And yes one can only hope Laurier and Clancy will be closed sooner as oppose to later (or a proposal such as the one I drew above) is done.

And yes I think the Valley Road interchange could easily be a terminus of the Saskatoon Truck limited access Bypass in the future (if done correctly) That would give trucks traveling on 16, 7, 14 a way south and around. Instead of a truck heading WB 16 to have to go all the way North and around it could just stay south of the city and get there quickly (saving time and money)

[Treesplease]

Originally Posted by North_Regina_Boy

You can go Northbound Idylwyld from Clarence, just stay in right lane and follow it around the back of the Circle Drive overpass.

Hey - I think I know the road you are talking about - I thought that was a temp during construction only? I will check next time. Too bad the google map isn't quite up to date - I blame google as opposed to poor signage or my ability to read signs.

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by Treesplease

Hey - I think I know the road you are talking about - I thought that was a temp during construction only? I will check next time. Too bad the google map isn't quite up to date - I blame google as opposed to poor signage or my ability to read signs.

It was constructed first to allow the interchange to be built and not affect Clarence traffic. However, at full build-out (which it is at currently) it is designed so that people exiting Clarence don't have to weave across an unsafe amount of traffic to get to Idylwyld North whilst still allowing them access to Circle Drive westbound.

But I am seeing it on Google Maps...

[Arts]

Originally Posted by Treesplease

Hey - I think I know the road you are talking about - I thought that was a temp during construction only? I will check next time. Too bad the google map isn't quite up to date - I blame google as opposed to poor signage or my ability to read signs.

Google's linework is fairly up to date, as is ESRI's (who hosts some of the city's online mapping services), while the city's own published map data is updated weekly. But the imagery of all three sources is currently older than the completion of Circle Dr S.

Here is a link to the city's mapping page:

http://www.saskatoon.ca/DEPARTMENTS/...Map%20New.aspx

the web-based maps (such as services and schedules, and the road restrictions) on that page use ESRI's online mapping data which is not completely up-to-date but are cross platform, while the desktop based ones use city data and are up-to-date but need Microsoft Windows to view.

The city probably won't have updated aerial imagery available again until the end of 2015. I have no idea when Google or ESRI will have updated imagery available.

[Crisis]

The City has posted an informational video on the propsed North Commuter bridge and replacement traffic bridge project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsWTR...3RtqD1XJZ0bFqQ

Of interest is how the narrator talks about cyclists and pedestrians sharing the sidewalk structure, while the video shows bike lane markings in the traffic lanes and shows cyclists using the traffic lanes...

[drm310]

Tighten belt to ease congestion

By Jordon Cooper, The Starphoenix
August 18, 2014 10:41 AM

The North Commuter Bridge is a done deal. It will be built and all four lanes will be there to get many of you to and from work in the north end. There is one thing that it won't do: relieve traffic congestion.

Both Mayor Don Atchison and Coun. Zach Jeffries are on the record as saying that it will do that. In numerous interviews since he campaigned on a new commuter bridge, Atchison has said that it will reduce congestion in the city, and instinctively it feels like it should. You have one congested road; adding more lanes or another route should make things better, shouldn't it?

It does in some instances, particularly long stretches of highways. Widening the Yellowhead from Saskatoon to Edmonton has made for a much nicer and safer stretch of road. Contrast that to the east side of the city where a combination of just two lanes, slow moving traffic, and reckless driving makes it a very dangerous drive.

Cities aren't highways and there is something that economists call the law of induced demand. It means that if you increase the supply of something, you want more of it. My local grocery store started carrying my favourite dessert after years of not having it. I had it before, but because it is there now, I get it. Roads are the same way. When you widen them, add a bridge, or extend a freeway, people drive on it because they can. [...]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/s...428/story.html

[North_Regina_Boy]

Originally Posted by drm310

Tighten belt to ease congestion

By Jordon Cooper, The Starphoenix
August 18, 2014 10:41 AM

The North Commuter Bridge is a done deal. It will be built and all four lanes will be there to get many of you to and from work in the north end. There is one thing that it won't do: relieve traffic congestion.

Both Mayor Don Atchison and Coun. Zach Jeffries are on the record as saying that it will do that. In numerous interviews since he campaigned on a new commuter bridge, Atchison has said that it will reduce congestion in the city, and instinctively it feels like it should. You have one congested road; adding more lanes or another route should make things better, shouldn't it?

It does in some instances, particularly long stretches of highways. Widening the Yellowhead from Saskatoon to Edmonton has made for a much nicer and safer stretch of road. Contrast that to the east side of the city where a combination of just two lanes, slow moving traffic, and reckless driving makes it a very dangerous drive.

Cities aren't highways and there is something that economists call the law of induced demand. It means that if you increase the supply of something, you want more of it. My local grocery store started carrying my favourite dessert after years of not having it. I had it before, but because it is there now, I get it. Roads are the same way. When you widen them, add a bridge, or extend a freeway, people drive on it because they can. [...]

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/s...428/story.html

Indeed,

People need to be connected, and travel needs to be safe. A need for a bypass for large through traffic is needed, as is being built in Regina. But the shift to a more "walkable" society would be good. Get people being neighborly again. Because if a car oriented society has showed, it just puts people in place where socializing is becoming a thing of the past. When we NEED it now the most!