It was a happy surprise for drivers on Regina’s Ring Road Wednesday morning.
The Victoria Avenue bridge re-opened to southbound traffic at 3 a.m. This comes ahead of schedule, as construction began in April and was slated to be complete Oct. 1, 2017.
“We’ve had just gorgeous weather all summer, no rain days to speak of. That really helped with the scheduling,” said Norm Kyle, the city’s director of roadways and transportation.
Kyle added it was the same contractor that worked on the northbound section in 2016.
“They had a really good understanding of the work and the scope of what to do and they were able to do the work a little faster because of that.”
It was down to two-way traffic in the northbound lanes, often resulting in back-ups in both directions.
“It’s nice when we can wrap up a project like that four, five weeks ahead of time, get traffic back to flowing normally on the Ring Road,” Kyle explained.
Kyle said that stretch of Ring Road will remain open. Meanwhile, drivers could expect nighttime closures around Wascana Parkway, as crews work to complete that project.