During his State of the City address Thursday, Mayor Michael Fougere announced a feasibility study will done to determine the cost of building an overpass or underpass at the railroad crossing on Ring Road near Winnipeg Street.
Long traffic delays and vehicle-versus-train collisions at the crossing have caused headaches and hazards for motorists.
“The idea of an overpass is simply the only solution,” Mayor Fougere said. “We’re not going to have a rail relocation, that’s a billion dollar plus expense. It simply will not happen.”
The crossing sees heavy traffic congestion when a train crosses Ring Road and it has also seen several collisions. The most recent happened in January where a semi collided with a train.
The mayor added he will be trying to get provincial and federal officials involved.
Previous estimates for the potential overpass have been between $100 million and $140 million.
“By doing the feasibility study we’d actually be able to look at options and a tighter cost estimate,” City of Regina Director of Roadways & Transportation Norman Kyle said.
Fougere could not provide an exact timeline for the feasibility study, but said it would be on council’s agenda shortly.