Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge to fully reopen on Sunday

There’s some good news for Saskatoon motorists, as the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge will fully reopen on Sunday.

In a release, the city said the two-year, $20-million rehabilitation project on the 54-year-old bridge is complete.

“Work progressed so well this summer that we are able to open the bridge approximately two months earlier than originally planned and within budget,” says Rob Frank, the City of Saskatoon’s engineering manager of asset preservation.

“We’ve improved the overall life span of the bridge by strengthening it and residents will notice a wider, safer walkway that better protects them from vehicular traffic.”

Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge walkway.
(City of Saskatoon/Submitted)

The project included:

• Resurfacing of the Idylwyld Drive ramp over 19th Street to First Avenue
• Walkway widening with taller barriers for improved pedestrian protection
• New draining system to help better traction by reducing puddles and splashing
• Concrete deck repairs and asphalt replacement
• Strengthening of piers
• Barrier replacement

Part of the project also included the removal of pigeon feces below the bridge deck in the spring of last year. In total, 635,000 kilograms (1.4 million pounds) of feces was removed.

The total cost of trapping and removing the birds, cleaning the feces and building barriers and fencing was $800,000.

The bridge officially opened in 1966 and was renamed in 2001 in honour of Senator Sid Buckwold, who was the mayor of Saskatoon when the bridge was built.