Regina wraps up $94-million construction season

The 2023 construction season is wrapping up in Regina, after the city invested $94 million into its transportation, water, wastewater and drainage infrastructure.

According to the city, the main areas of investment this season included the Residential Road Renewal Program, which improved 15.3 kilometres of residential roadways at a cost of $14.8 million.

The Street Infrastructure Renewal Program improved the condition of just over 11 kilometres of roads in the Queen City at a cost of $13.2 million, while an investment of $49 million into water, wastewater and drainage projects helped ensure services remained reliable across the city.

More than 19 kilometres of Regina sidewalks saw improvements in 2023, the city added, as did more than 20 kilometres of paved and gravel alleys. The 2023 season also saw the renewal of the Pasqua Street Bridge.

Kurtis Doney, the city’s executive director of operations, said investing into infrastructure is necessary to build a safe, vibrant and healthy city.

“Several major projects were completed ahead of schedule,” Doney noted in a statement, “including the Lewvan Drive and McCarthy Boulevard improvement projects.”

The 2023 season also saw the introduction of a number of traffic-safety measures, the city added, such as rubber curbing, flashing LED signs in school zones, intersection signals and more.

But while the construction season was a productive one for the city, it wasn’t always a smooth process.

In June, overlapping construction projects restricted access to the city’s downtown, frustrating business owners and drivers to the extent that Mayor Sandra Masters reminded residents that the neighbourhood was open for business.

“The end of the construction season doesn’t mean work stops for the winter,” the city added in a statement Tuesday. “Winter work includes traffic signal upgrades, and water and sewer infrastructure repairs.”