Released on June 8, 2016
The daily commute will become safer for people in the Pilot Butte area earlier than expected. Today, Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner and Minister responsible for SaskBuilds Gord Wyant announced the Pilot Butte overpass will be completed one year ahead of schedule, opening in fall 2018.“We understand how important this overpass is to people in the Pilot Butte area,” Heppner said. “We are pleased to work with the Bypass builders to open this overpass earlier than expected.”
The overpasses at Balgonie, White City and Tower Road will be completed in October 2017. Due to extensive underground utilities in the area, the Pilot Butte overpass wasn’t expected to be completed until fall 2019. With the new plan, construction will be complete in fall 2018. At least two lanes of the overpass will be open to north-south traffic by fall 2017.
“One of the benefits of this P3 partnership is that, while project completion dates are absolute, the private sector partners have flexibility in staging their work,” Wyant said. “We couldn’t have accomplished this without the co-operation of the Regina Bypass Partners, utility companies and the Ochapowace First Nation. As the land owner, Ochapowace was willing to sign a Memorandum of Understanding so work could begin prior to the title being transferred.”
“Whether people are regular commuters or only use the highway occasionally, today’s announcement is great news,” Pilot Butte Mayor Nat Ross said. “We’ve been working with the ministry to address our safety concerns and we appreciate that they were able to find a way to get this overpass constructed sooner.”
Construction remains on time and on budget in all areas of the Regina Bypass project. The first phase will be completed in the fall of 2017. It will include an upgraded roadway between Balgonie and Tower Road, along with overpasses at Balgonie, White City and Tower Road. That work will be followed by the completion of the overpass at the Pilot Butte access, followed by the remainder of the project in 2019.
During construction, drivers are reminded to watch for work zones and slow to 60 km/h for the safety of those working on the Bypass. To view a computer-animated flyover video of the Regina Bypass, visit www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/transportation/regina-bypass-project.
ABOUT THE REGINA BYPASS
The Regina Bypass is the largest transportation project in Saskatchewan history. Once complete, it will allow motorists to safely commute to their destinations on Highway 1 east of Regina and will reduce congestion in and around Regina. It will also provide important linkages to the national highway system to help Saskatchewan producers and manufacturers get their goods to market.
It includes:
- 12 overpasses;
- 40 kilometres of new four-lane highway;
- 20 kilometres of resurfaced four-lane highway;
- 55 kilometres of new service roads; and
- Twinning of approximately five kilometres of Highway 6.
For more information, contact:
Doug Wakabayashi
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-6815
Email: doug.wakabayashi@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-536-0049