Work begins Monday on the province’s first free-flow overpass that will connect the Regina Bypass to Victoria Avenue East.
The design allows drivers to stay at highway speed as they travel on the Bypass from Highway 1 east of Regina to Highway 1 west of the city. A news release from the province says this is the first overpass in Saskatchewan that allows drivers to maintain highway speeds.
“This innovative overpass design will allow cars and trucks to continue on their journey at highway speeds without stopping, slowing down or having to travel down Victoria Avenue,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner said in the release. “This overpass will dramatically improve safety and save people time and fuel as they travel around Regina.”
There will be more than 4.3 million metric tonnes of raw material used in the Victoria Avenue interchange – 13 times the weight of the Empire State Building.
The province has released a video that shows a digital animation of the overpass.
The bypass will include 12 overpasses over its 60-kilometre stretch. Survey work began in July. It’s expected to be fully open by the fall of 2019.