Drivers who regularly head eastbound on 22nd Street near Confederation Drive have likely noticed a lot of wide open lanes.
The concrete “jersey barrier” that had been preventing last minute, multi-lane crossovers is gone.
READ MORE: Semi gets hung-up on 22nd Street barrier in Saskatoon
It was hit by a semi-truck and damaged several months ago.
City officials said the barrier posed a problem for larger vehicles, so there’s a new plan to move the barrier and do what is being done at Diefenbaker Drive and 22nd Street, as well and College and Preston avenues.
“What we’ll be looking at long term is to make some changes to the intersection for the left turn, so the westbound left turn will physically be separated from the through lanes,” Angela Gardiner, the city’s director of transportation, said.
“It will still be a prevention of people from Fairmont, crossing three lanes of traffic to get into that left turn lane, but the barrier will be on the opposite side of the street.”
The cost to install the slotted lane is between $300,000 and $400,000.
It will be included in the 2018 budget recommendations to city council.
Temporary plastic posts will be installed over the next month in the right turn lane to continue to discourage last-minute lane crossing.