1 day Ago By Brody Langager
Construction will begin on Saskatoon’s Broadway Bridge on Monday, May 12. The Broadway Bridge Rehabilitation Project will last for six months, with the expected completion date sometime in October. CLOSURES Terry Schmidt, the city’s general manager of transportation and construction, said the Broadway Bridge has an annual average daily traffic count of 20,000 vehicles.
The bridge will undergo a full shut down for the next six months. “We appreciate everyone’s patience and co-operation, and remind Broadway Bridge users to reroute their commutes,” Schmidt said. He said Spadina Crescent between the bridge and Third Avenue South will also be closed, but that the boat launch will remain open and accessible via Spadina Crescent from 20th Street East.
Broadway Avenue from Saskatchewan Crescent East to 20th Street East, 19th Street East from Third Avenue South to Broadway Avenue, and Fourth Avenue South from 19th Street East to 20th Street East will also be closed. WORK BEING DONE Asphalt and waterproofing replacement, major arch repairs and sidewalk repairs are just some of the improvements coming from this project, meant to prolong the life of the bridge that was built in 1932. The intersection at Fourth Avenue South and 19th Street East will be changed into a T-intersection during this rehabilitation.
Schmidt said the T-intersection gives a direct flow from Broadway Avenue to 19th Street, will add pedestrian crossings, and gives some dedication to the Link bus system. The project was originally anticipated to start in April, but the contractor’s decision to run a seven-day-a-week, round-the-clock schedule allowed it to get pushed back to early May. Broadway-area modifications will also take place for the Link bus system, with four stations being constructed on Broadway Avenue in mid-May, creating partial lane closures.
Schmidt explained that the full closure of the bridge allows construction to be done more efficiently, and that if they kept a lane open the project would stretch into more than just one construction season. COST Estimated project costs were listed at $13.1 million back in June, but the recent estimate was $15.
5 million, which Schmidt said was actually lower than the original budget estimate. Schmidt said possible tariff impacts were a moving and changing platform, and that they’ll address those impacts as they come up. ACCESSIBILITY “Saskatoon Transit will be affected by these projects, with some Broadway Avenue, Victoria Avenue and Downtown routes being redirected,” Schmidt said, adding that people should check for Transit service alerts and real-time bus information.
Pedestrian access to Meewasin Trail will still be available through scaffolding tunnels. HISTORY The Broadway Bridge last underwent major rehabilitation in the mid-1980’s. The bridge opened on Nov.
11, 1932, taking 11 months to build. It took 1,593 people to build the bridge, working around the clock, the city said. The city also noted the Broadway Bridge was the steepest bridge in the city, with a four per cent grade.
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