Sid Buckwold Bridge in Saskatoon reopens to traffic

Traffic is flowing again in the southbound lanes of the Sid Buckwold Bridge.

The bridge fully reopened to traffic on Friday after the southbound lanes were shut down on April 15 for major rehabilitation work.

Some brief disruptions and lanes closures are possible over the weekend as crews clear the site.

City of Saskatoon officials said crews made deck repairs, laid new asphalt, installed new barriers and a drainage system, and resurfaced connecting ramps.

Crews also removed 635,000 kg of pigeon feces from under the bridge.

The bridge has three dozen cavities beneath the deck which became home to roughly 1,500 pigeons.

The city said the extra weight from the feces works out to 230 mid-sized cars and could potentially have compromised the bridge’s structure. Those cavities have now been closed off to prevent wildlife from entering in the future.

Work will flip in spring 2020 when the northbound lanes are closed for rehabilitation work.

The city said it will also be closing the bridge walkway so it can be widened and have a taller barricade installed. Officials said it will improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

The rehabilitation work on the bridge was scheduled over two years to prevent fully closing the bridge, the city said.

1:48 Holy crap: Saskatoon to spend $640K cleaning bridge of pigeon poop

—With files from Kyle Benning and Brittney Matejka