Public feedback sought on future 8th Street train crossing plans in Saskatoon

Saskatoon’s 8th Street is going to look a lot different in the next few years for those living in the Brighton, Briarwood, College Park East and Rosewood areas.

The city wants feedback on two options: to build an overpass over or an underpass under the CP-KC tracks at Wess Road.

Option 1: Artist rendering of a possible overpass option. (City of Saskatoon)

Dan Willems, technical services director, said the plans have been in the works for the last decade, and there are pros and cons to both.

“From a technical perspective, there’s a number of challenges with an underpass. Stormwater is often a big challenge… in addition, you start to get into some challenging ground conditions as you dig in that area.”

“An overpass option is a little easier to accommodate from a constructability perspective, from a technical perspective. But then there’s trade-offs for both. That’s part of the reason we want to go to the public,” he said.

The project, still in the early stages, is estimated to be between $40 million and $60 million currently and will be paid for by developer fees.

“There’s no other pot of cash sitting around waiting to pay for it, so enough development has to have occurred for us to be able to afford this investment,” said Willems.

The last time major overpasses were built by the city, was in 2018/2019. When the McOrmand Drive/College overpass to Brighton was completed and the Boychuk/Highway 16 overpass to Rosewood was also constructed.

Option 2: Artist rendering of a possible overpass option. (City of Saskatoon)While initial design plans could be finalized sometime this summer, construction isn’t expected to begin until sometime between 2028 and 2030, if area development continues.

In addition to the overpass, Willems said 8th Street will eventually be extended with an interchange. A highway the province is planning to build will begin at Highway 11 south of the city and extend east of the city, through the southeast swale area, north.

An open house to get public feedback is being held today from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Cliff Wright Public Library on McKercher Drive.

An online survey is also open to the public until March 17th.