McOrmond Drive overpass to open within 10 days: councillor

Commuters travelling in and out of Saskatoon’s northeast corner could soon see yet another improvement aimed at easing the area’s chronic traffic woes.

Just one day after the Chief Mistawasis Bridge gave drivers a more direct route to and from the north industrial area of the city, Ward 10 city councillor Zach Jeffries told 650 CKOM the McOrmond Drive overpass at College Drive will be partially open by Oct. 13.

“People probably should be on that overpass within the next seven to 10 days,” he said in an interview Wednesday.

He said getting vehicles onto the overpass will help get the project wrapped up.

“One of the big things that has to happen is you actually need the traffic to be moved up onto the structure, which is more or less complete, so some of those other pieces (of construction) can be done.”

Asked for confirmation on the overpass opening, a city spokesperson said more information on traffic pattern changes would be released on Monday.

Jeffries said the information he’s received indicates the change will involve eastbound traffic on College Drive being able to use the right lane to loop onto the overpass and continue north on McOrmond Drive.

Currently, drivers have to wait for a green light to use one of two left-turn lanes to get onto McOrmond Drive.

“The great thing about the overpass is … you don’t have to sit at a light,” Jeffries said.

The city recently shifted traffic patterns in a similar way at the Boychuk Drive overpass at Highway 16.

The McOrmond Drive overpass was originally slated for a fall 2018 opening.