Mayor Bachynski asks for patience as construction continues on major roads

Major construction projects have caused significant traffic backups in Regina.

Work underway on the 11th Avenue and Dewdney Avenue has caused even more congestion around the city’s core than usual.

“I completely understand the frustration. It is frustrating when delays like that are happening and it’s harder to get around, but it’s critical that we get the work done,” said Mayor Chad Bachynski on Thursday.

“I know once we get that done, then when we open things up, it’s going to be for the better. So, patience is what I asked for and what I hope we can get through. And when we get to the end, there’s going to be something really nice to show for it,” Bachynski said.

Read more:

• Regina city council finds $1.55 million in savings
• Sticker shock in Regina: Many homeowners face steep property tax increases
• REAL District says details about the QCX are coming soon

Bachynski said the city has had talks about potentially staggering the projects instead of having them run at the same time, but at the end of the day, the city has “a lot” to catch up on.

“It’s a point of feedback. I know we have a lot of folks working really hard to plan these things. Plans don’t always work out perfectly and we need to take that feedback and pivot,” Bachynski said.

“We can’t look at the past, but we do have to take those lessons learned and turn them into a better plan in the future.”

Bachynski also stated that the city would constantly be reevaluating whether it would need to change detours in place to better accommodate emergency vehicles.

Deputy City Manager Kurtis Doney said the Dewdney Revitalization project will be completed this year. May 22, 2025. (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)

Deputy City Manager Kurtis Doney said the Dewdney Avenue revitalization will be wrapped up by the end of the year if the weather permits it.

He added that the work on the Broad Street side of 11th Avenue is also expected to be completed this year.

“It’s important to get that construction done because there’s a lot of other construction that’s waiting, of course, that needs to be done in the future,” Doney said.

Doney said the city has extended working hours until 7 p.m. for the 11th Avenue project to accelerate the process.

He also said the city’s contractor will work on the project every second Saturday.

Extended construction hours were one of the issues that the mayor campaigned on.

Doney said 24-hour construction is a tool that the city can use in certain cases, like for water network expansion, critical tie-ins and the North Albert Street Overpass.

However, the city also has to contend with residential noise bylaws and a limited amount of contractor availability that would prevent 24-hour construction from being used more often.

“We’ve got a certain amount of budget that we can stretch to get all the work done,” Doney said.

“There’s always the ability to accelerate work. We’ve got to balance schedule, cost and time.”

– with files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick