Saskatoon city council approves west side intersection upgrades to stop drivers from taking shoulder

Liam O'Connor · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 27, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

A Saskatoon intersection wherever drivers often take the enarthrosis to bypass postulation backlogs was approved for upgrades astatine metropolis council.

On Wednesday, assembly approved new functional designs to the 22nd Street and Confederation Drive intersection, aimed astatine helping the travel of traffic.

The study earlier assembly was mostly focused on the Fairmont Drive access, which allows vehicles to get onto 22nd Street. 

The study said postulation often backs up from the Confederation Drive intersection past the Fairmont Drive access, and drivers are bypassing the postulation by taking a shoulder to get to the Circle Drive on-ramp.

The study besides highlighted drivers coming from Fairmont Drive weaving done 3 lanes connected 22nd Street to marque the near crook onto Confederation Drive.

According to 2019 to 2023 information from the city, determination were 188 crashes astatine the 22nd Street and Confederation intersection successful that timeframe, but nary astatine the intersection of 22nd Street and Fairmont Drive.

"While the information cannot find the nonstop fig of collisions that occurred owed to weaving from the Fairmont Drive intersection, eastbound postulation accounted for a disproportionately precocious percent of broadside swipe and rear extremity collisions," the study stated.

"Eastbound postulation made up 32 per cent of the full fig of collisions portion lone accounting for 25 per cent of the postulation volume."

There person been nary fatal collisions astatine the intersections, but determination person been 40 insignificant injuries.

Council besides green-lit changing Fairmont Drive's existing close crook out, to a close crook in. It besides approved a slotted near crook lane connected the eastbound bound lane astatine the 22nd Street and Confederation Drive intersection.

A shared usage pathway volition besides beryllium added connected the southbound broadside of 22nd Street betwixt Diefenbaker Drive and Confederation Drive.

While the $2.97-million functional designs are approved, the operation won't commencement until wealth is disposable for it. Until then, the unfunded task volition enactment connected the database of prioritized proscription projects waiting for money.

The metropolis says it volition effort to leverage provincial grants, similar Saskatchewan Government Insurance information grants.