VIDEO: Partial reopening of 11th Ave. coming as workers take advantage of weather

There is a little light at the end of the tunnel as crews work to wrap up a four-year construction project in Regina’s downtown.

Kurtis Doney, Regina’s deputy city manager of city operations, said an additional stretch of 11th Avenue is set to open soon as crews make their way west.

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“Things are progressing pretty well,” Doney said. “The Lorne Street intersection is going to have some pavement put down on it shortly and open up in a few weeks, and we’re looking to keep making good progress towards Albert Street.”

But he noted that the 11th Avenue revitalization project won’t be fully complete until the end of October, as planned.

Doney explained that while there were delays due to rainy weather early in the season, construction crews around the city have made up for it during the dry weeks that followed.

“We definitely had a wet June, and so there was some slight delay in some construction projects there, and even before that some starts and stops this spring,” he said. “But July and August here has been really hot and dry, so teams have made good progress and made up any slippage that might have occurred because of the weather in June, and making good progress into the fall.”

He said if snow comes in October, there is a chance that some final touches to 11th Avenue, such as tree planting, may have to wait until 2027.

Projects generally on schedule

Doney said while there are often unexpected delays, nothing has yet been encountered to put any of the major Regina projects behind schedule.

That list of projects includes the Albert Street North bridge replacement at Ring Road. Doney said work on the east bridge has been going just as well as the previous replacement of the west bridge in 2025, and that work should also be finished by the end of October.

The same goes for the Speaker’s Corner drainage project, which encompasses 19th Avenue at Albert Street as well as a large storm main being installed along Hamilton Street. That project resulted from the failure of a storm sewer in 2023. Ever since, a large sump pit has occupied a section of Wascana Centre next to the Albert Street Bridge.

Doney said there’s a chance that pit could be filled in before the snow flies.

“We might have the pumps pulled,” he said. “Just whether or not we can get it all filled in and re-landscaped will depend on the weeks in October that are available for that kind of work.”

There is still some ongoing work on McCarthy Boulevard, where wastewater pipes were relined. Doney said because some of the excavations were very deep, city workers may need to wait for the land to settle before finishing repaving.

Doney also highlighted the repaving that took place at the south end of Lewvan Drive, noting how quickly the city was able to complete the work in light of the traffic issues it would cause.

“Definitely some impact there, but we got in and out as quickly as possible, and worked long hours and 12 days straight throughout the weekend to get that done as quickly as possible,” he said.

Doney also pointed to quick work along Ring Road, which was repaved between Albert and Winnipeg Streets.

“In certain projects where we’re not going to have an impact on residents from a noise perspective, we can definitely work longer hours and weekends, so it’s definitely a tool in our toolbox to focus and get work done quickly,” he explained.