It’s been more than a month since the Regina Bypass opened, and the province said it’s being well used.
On average, 5,630 vehicles, including 1,230 trucks, use the bypass every day.
“We are encouraged to see many people benefitting from the bypass in the first weeks of full operation,” said Greg Ottenbreit, highways and infrastructure minister.
“The improved safety and efficiency of the project for people travelling in the Regina area is great, and we are excited to see even more traffic use the route as people familiarize themselves with the new infrastructure.”
However, SaskBuilds stated on its website that the projected traffic on the bypass was expected to be 21,000 vehicles daily.
When asked about this traffic difference, Premier Scott Moe said the projection of 21,000 vehicles daily is for 2040. The SaskBuilds web page does not reference that year.
“The south commuter bypass in Saskatoon took over a year before they even got close to some of the targets that they had on that particular road. So by no means is this anytime to say that the bypass isn’t achieving what it set out to do. I would say just in the way of safety, it is achieving a great deal,” Moe said.
The province estimates that having the bypass will reduce fuel consumption by close to 300 million litres over the next 30 years — reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1.5 per cent.
“The opening of the Regina Bypass is the perfect way to close out our government’s previous growth plan, and pave the way toward our next growth plan for 2030,” Ottenbreit said.
After four years of construction, the Regina Bypass officially opened to the public on Oct. 29.
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