Work on the Regina Bypass project is well on its way.
The $1.88 billion project, which is 43 per cent complete, involves 66 kilometres of four-lane highways, 12 interchanges and 33 bridges.
“It’s going to be phenomenal,” Regina Bypass project manager Darrell Trapp said. “You’ll be able to come off Highway 1, go around the interchange at highway speeds … it’s going to be state of the art.”
The project has faced several challenges, Trapp said.
“We were finding that the ground around the area is very unpredictable. There’s sand layers, there’s water, there’s the Regina clay, as everybody knows who lives here, is a challenge to work with and deal with,” Trapp said.
Weather has also impacted construction.
“Of course it has been quite a cold winter, so it has been good for us in terms of earth moving. It’s quite favourable for hall roads in winter conditions, not so favourable for bridges. It’s caused us to have to invest a lot in heating and hoarding to keep the concrete temperatures within specification,” Dave Callander, Regina Bypass project manager, said.
When it opens, the bypass is expected to divert 70 per cent of truck traffic south around the city, David Stearns, Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure executive director with major projects, said.
“This is going to make it easier to drive not only down Victoria Avenue but also down Highway 1 and get around the city,” Stearns said. “And also the truck traffic will be largely removed from Victoria Avenue, making it much safer for the average motorist.”
The first phase of the project, which includes overpasses at Balgonie and White City, is expected to open this fall.
Officials say they expect the project to be complete on schedule in 2019.
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