City of Saskatoon launches summer construction season

The City of Saskatoon is highlighting water main and aging lead pipe replacements as crews begin the 2021 construction season.

“Our big focus this year is the continuation of our water main replacement program, and getting closer to our goal to replace all lead service line connections by the year 2026,” Terry Schmidt, the city’s general manager of transportation and construction, said Tuesday.

“For the first time in what seems like a long time, we’re not building or rehabilitating a bridge.”

Prior to 1950, water connections from homes to water mains were made of lead. Council has repeatedly stated its intentions to have all lead lines removed in the next five years.

By the end of 2021, crews are hoping to replace 820 of those connections, with streets completely resurfaced afterwards.

The majority of the work is scheduled in the Nutana, Caswell Hill, Montgomery, Riversdale, 20th Street West and Ruth Street East areas.

COVID-19’s arrival in Saskatchewan last year forced some of these replacements to be rescheduled from 2020 to 2021.

“We just needed a little more time to work with the contracting industry,” Schmidt said of the work which requires workers to enter a home.

Annual street maintenance — pothole repairs and road resurfacing — is also expected to keep crews busy.

Of the 165 kilometres of targeted road construction, major projects include repaving College Drive from Central Avenue to the city limits near Brighton, Eighth Street from Broadway Avenue to Lorne Avenue, and “rehabilitating” the Circle Drive overpass at Eighth Street.

Work at the overpass will begin in July and last for roughly two months.

Road conditions are better than expected, but Schmidt couldn’t say if that was due to less traffic on the road during the pandemic or the city’s emphasis and investment on major roads in recent years.

“There’s maybe not as many potholes this year,” he said. “I’m not sure if that’s directly tied to the reduced traffic in just one season. We’ve been able to undertake more road rehabilitation … and I think that’s starting to pay dividends now.”

City council committed $65.5 million to the summer construction projects.