Watch above: 200 kilometers of roads paved, 188,000 potholes patched during road construction season
SASKATOON – The city is nearing the end of what it is calling, one of its most successful road construction seasons, ever!
For roads alone, residents spent an extra 2.92 per cent in property taxes this year and they have noticed the improvement according to the City’s Transportation and Utilities Manager Jeff Jorgenson.
“There were a lot more frustrated people we were dealing with last summer compared to this summer,” he said.
City crews paved 200 kilometers of road, a big improvement from 78 km paved in 2013. Along with that, 188,000 potholes have been patched, six kilometers of sidewalks are rehabilitated and 870 kilometers of road lines have been freshly painted.
“Not only did we do more this year, we think we did it better,” said Jorgenson.
The 47 per cent increase in funding allowed money for overnight work. While 24-hour crews cost approximately seven per cent more, the work is completed faster, minimizing impact on motorists.
The increased funding brought the road maintenance budget to $50.4 million.
The increased funding marks the first of a three-year initiative to bring roads to an acceptable standard according to Jorgenson.
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“Once that base funding is there, that’ll give us enough to maintain and sustain the roads in Saskatoon going forward.”
As the summer construction season wraps up, winter operations are about to begin.
Starting yesterday and running through to Tuesday Oct. 28, motorists can expect to see winter equipment practicing on Idylwyld Drive and Circle Drive outside of rush hours, between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. and again some afternoons between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m..
Lead by a pilot truck, 20 operators will complete 180 hours of training on speed plows, sanding trucks and snow plows.
The City’s Public Works Director, Pat Hyde, says the training is annual.
“We do get the odd question asked you know, cause folks are seeing a snow plough out on dry roads.”
According to Hyde, the operators use the time to get comfortable maneuvering the equipment, navigating through traffic, and plowing gravel as a temporary substitute to snow.
With an additional $500,000 dedicated to city wide snow clearing in the 2014 budget, the city hopes the winter program is as successful as summer.
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