‘It’s what we needed’: Countdown begins on Regina Bypass completion

The countdown to finishing the Regina Bypass is officially on, a project that began in 2014.

If everything goes as plan, the bypass will be fully open to the public by the end of October.

“Contractually, I’ve got to open this thing and hand it over by the end of October and that’s what we’re shooting for,” said Justin Churko, Regina Bypass Designer Builders (RBDB) deputy director.

As of now, parts of the bypass north of Arcola towards Balgonie are open.

A small portion of the west bypass is now accessible, along with the Dewdney overpass, which opened this past week.

All the way from Highway 33 circling down Regina to the northwest corner at Highway 11 is where the final tying point is.

“Overall, we’re really happy with what we’ve been able to accomplish. You run into bumps along the way, but we’ve been able to overcome all those,” Churko said.

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“We’ll be in a very good position in terms of hand over and opening this fall.”

It’s news truck drivers are happy to hear.

WATCH (May 2019): Regina Bypass on budget and on track for October completion

1:21 Regina Bypass on budget and on track for October completion

“Thank you very much for doing the bypass, that was necessary, really it’s what we needed,” Kaz Muda said.

“You can just bypass the city and save a lot of time, not having to slow down, and speed up again and fight with the traffic,” Wayne Francis said.

It’s not just the trucking industries that are looking forward to the completion of the bypass, residents are also anticipating the effect it’s going to have on the flow of traffic.

“Those big semis come through here all the time, and that’s not necessary. It will be nice to have them go around the city,” Harold Lutzer said.

Churko said they’re about 75 per cent done in terms of paving, which means they’re shifting focus to off-road finishes; things like signage, top soiling, line painting and rumble strips.

The recent heat has been a concern Churko said, but it isn’t slowing down their progress.

“We’re in pretty good condition in terms of where infrastructure has been built to, so the impact of weather has had a smaller effect,” Churko said.

Churko calls the Regina bypass a world-class design, and something the city and province should be proud of.