Rent reduced for Riders, early budget items approved by Regina Council
5h ago
Council retroactively slashed $1.33 million in rent owed by the Roughriders.
As Regina gets closer to summer, there’ll soon be more delays on the city’s roadways with the start of a $16.4-million road renewal and construction program.
Highlighting the work is a two-year project happening right now in downtown Regina on Victoria Avenue, from Broad Street to Albert Street.
This year, crews will begin work from Cornwall Street to Albert Street, and next year they’ll move to complete the section from Cornwall to Broad.
At an announcement in Victoria Park on Thursday morning, the city revealed the project includes paving, sewer repairs, curb extensions, wider sidewalks and boulevards, and installing “79 ornamental trees” as well as new lighting and banners.
It will mean parts of the busy roadway are restricted to one lane each way, Mayor Michael Fougere said.
Out on Ring Road, drivers will have to slow down around the Assiniboine Avenue fly-over: Crews will replace the two bridges over top of Wascana Creek, and they’ll be extending the exit ramp off Ring Road to add more braking room.
In residential neighborhoods, some of the city’s choppier, crummy roads are getting either rebuilt, repaved or outright replaced. They’re divided up by ward, and each ward has at least a few.
Some of those include Douglas Park Crescent, Cowan Crescent, McNiven Avenue, Darke Crescent, Argyle Street, Wimbledon Drive, Wascana Street, Cornwall Street, Royal Street, Blakeney Drive and others.
For a full list of roads getting work and to see how it affects streets in your ward, go to regina.ca/construction.
Fougere acknowledged that the excessive road work this summer will likely cause delays for drivers.
“We’re not going to paint a picture that everything is perfect, because it’s not. We have roads to do,” he said.
He said he understands that it’s maddening to deal with constant delays. But he added it’s worth it in the long-run to have better, nicer-looking roads.
“Just a momentary level of frustration is a small price to pay to have new infrastructure, new streets,” he said.
Fougere and city administration members didn’t release dates of when the construction will start; they said they’re still waiting to get schedules from construction crews.
CAA’s Top 10 List
Six Regina roads — including some of those slated to be repaired this year — appeared in the final top 10 in CAA’s 2019 worst roads campaign. That didn’t sit too well with Fougere.
“Well, no one wants to be on that list,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that is a list that is not one you want to have your name on.”
Christine Niemczyk, the director of communications with CAA Saskatchewan, said that 1,514 votes were received during the campaign, which ran from April 17 to Wednesday.
The winner was Highway 26 near Goodsoil, with Highway 21 near Paradise Hill finishing second. Then came a run of residential roads.
Regina’s Dolphin Bay was third, followed in order by 13th Avenue Northwest in Moose Jaw, Regina’s McKee Crescent, Moose Jaw’s 1st Avenue SE, Cowan Crescent in Regina, Regina’s Grant Drive, and Blakeney Drive in the Queen City. Regina’s Catherwood Crescent and Highway 795 between St. Walburg and Livelong tied for 10th.
“We do know that potholes and crumbling pavement are big concerns, still one of the No. 1 reasons why road users are nominating and voting for the worst roads,” Niemczyk said. “We’re getting a wide variety of votes from various road users across the province and, this year, the majority happened to be roads in Regina and Moose Jaw.”