Parts of Scona Road and 99th set to reopen

Business owners and south-side commuters can expect a break Monday when Scona Road and 99th Street partially reopen.

Construction to straighten the on-ramp, add a sound barrier, widen the sidewalks and reconstruct the road started in April. The shutdown forced an estimated 40,000 commuters for find other routes, detoured 2,000 transit riders and forced at least one business along 99th Street to lay off staff.

If the good weather holds, 99th Street south of Saskatchewan Drive will completely reopen on Sunday, said city project co-ordinator Kelly Calvez. Where 99th becomes Scona Road and continues north down the hill there will continue to be partial lane closures but some traffic will get through.

“Obviously, that will lessen the impact on other routes into downtown,” said Calvez.

Grinding and repaving the intersection at Whyte Avenue and 99th Street has been postponed until next year to avoid getting caught halfway done when winter arrives, said Calvez. But that project should only take a couple of weekends during off-peak hours.