News Releases

NEW

AIRPORT DR NB LANES CLOSED BETWEEN GATEWAY BLVD & SASKATOON AIRPORT
(Road improvements)
Two-way traffic set in SB lanes. 45th St W also closed from Koyl Ave to Airport Dr.
Start: August 20, 1:00 p.m. End: October 29, 6:00 p.m.

IDYLWYLD DR SB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED APPROACHING 29TH ST
(Sidewalk installation)
Restrictions will be reset daily
Start: August 20, 9:00 a.m. End: August 22, 3:00 p.m.

20TH ST W & AVE C INTERSECTION FOUR-WAY STOP
(Traffic signal repair)
Start: August 20, 9:00 a.m. End: August 20, 2:30 p.m.

OVERNIGHT: CIRCLE DR SB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED FROM ATTRIDGE DR TO COLLEGE DR
(Road paving)
Preston Ave on ramp to Circle Dr SB closed. Circle Dr SB off ramp to Attridge Dr closed.
Start: August 20, 7:00 p.m. End: August 21, 7:00 a.m.

ONGOING

1ST AVE N NB LANE CLOSED FROM CIRCLE DR E TO 42ND ST E
(Water & sewer work)
Turning onto 1st Ave from Circle Dr will be restricted. Detour: Use Faithfull Ave or Millar Ave
Start: August 19, 7:00 a.m. End: August 20, 6:00 p.m.

CENTRAL AVE CLOSED FROM GRAY AVE TO 110TH ST W
(Streetscaping)
Detour via Egbert Ave
Start: August 17, 7:00 p.m. End: August 24, 6:00 p.m.

IDYLWYLD DR N SB CURB (OUTSIDE) LANE CLOSED FROM 25TH ST W TO 24TH ST E
(Streetscaping)
Traffic will merge to one lane. Right turn from 25th St EB to Idylwyld Dr SB will be maintained
Start: August 13, 12:00 p.m. End: August 27, 4:00 p.m.

20TH ST W WB LANES CLOSED FROM AVE F S TO AVE G S
(Streetscaping)
Two way traffic will be accommodated in the EB lanes. Speed reduced to 30km/h
Start: August 7, 9:00 a.m. End: September 4, 6:00 p.m.

KINGSMERE BLVD AND WHITESHORE CR (E. LEG) INTERSECTION CLOSED
(Water pipe boring)
Bus routes will be affected. Please watch for temporary bus stop locations and allow extra time in case of delays. Call Saskatoon Transit at 306-975-3100.
Start: August 7, 8:00 a.m. End: August 22, 6:00 p.m.

All restrictions will be lifted as indicated, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.

Slow down, pay attention and respect work zones. Watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Plan your route around road work by checking our Road Restrictions and Construction Projects interactive map, find traffic detour information on our saskatoon.ca homepage or subscribe to our Traffic Detour Service Alerts. You can also follow us on Twitter @cityofsaskatoon and with #betterroadsYXE and like Saskatoon City News on Facebook.

Environment Canada forecasts the extreme gusts and winds in Saskatoon and area to drop off over the evening to more moderate levels after 10:00 p.m.  However, evening temperatures are expected to drop which increases the likelihood of slippery road conditions.  Sanding crews will be working on priority roads overnight and into the early morning hours.  Please give yourself extra time when traveling, as it will take time to cover the city with sand once temperatures start dropping.  
City staff responded to a number of service disruptions or operational challenges throughout the day.  An Emergency Level 1 Alert allowed for the sharing of information across civic departments and divisions.  The City continues to be in contact with other external agencies which have not requested support at this point.
The following is an update on the City of Saskatoon services:

Saskatoon Light & Power (SL&P)

SL&P staff have been reasonably able to keep up with outages and is not anticipating any long-term outages at this time. Although wind speeds are anticipated to drop over the evening, power outage may still occur.  Please contact (306) 975-2621 to report a power outage.  Crews will continue to respond, determine the cause and make repairs as necessary and safe to do so. Updates will continue to be provided through Service Alerts and on Facebook and Twitter.
 

Transit
Saskatoon Transit routes are currently on schedule and not experiencing any significant delays.  There are no anticipated delays for transit service for the sold out Pink! Concert or morning services.
 

Public Works
Snow & Ice
As Environment Canada forecasts a falling temperature and over the evening, Public Works has the following operational plan in place:
Ten tandem sanders and four one-ton sanders are available to address deteriorating road conditions should the City experience freezing rain and/or snow.
If wind is the only weather issue, sanders will still be utilized to address the road conditions.  Wind can ‘polish’ the roadways to an icy surface.
The City has sufficient sand and salt supplies to address the conditions.
Area contractors (grader crews) and developing neighbourhood contractor loaders have been alerted to be prepared to mobilize, should the City experience snowfall or significant drifting conditions.
Additional staff will be available on Thursday, January 16 to augment crews with pre-scheduled load-out locations. They can also be utilized for addressing any resulting snow/freezing rain/drifting conditions.
The regular crew shift is on tonight and will be re-deployed as required to address potential storm conditions. Public Works will call in additional staff if required.
Saskatoon Landfill
The Landfill closed at 1:30 p.m. to the general public due to high winds and the associated safety concerns. It is anticipated the Landfill will be open to the general public on Thursday, January 16. However, should conditions change and the Landfill is to remain closed, the City will advise residents through a Public Service Announcement and through Facebook and Twitter. 
Recycling and Garbage Collections
By nature of what is in the recycling carts, they tend to be light-weight and the heavy winds are blowing many of them over. However, Loraas Recycling continued with collection as scheduled today.  Operators turned carts upright for collection and picked-up as much material on the ground as possible in these windy conditions.
Garbage collection continued as scheduled today in Eastview, Hampton Village, Stonebridge, Westview and Wildwood.  The heavy wind was blowing some of these carts over as well, and operators turned them upright where possible in order to collect them, but may have missed isolated areas. If your garbage was not collected today as scheduled, garbage collection will resume tomorrow, Thursday, January 16.  Residents are asked, if they can, to bring carts in and out of the wind, and place them out again by 7:00 a.m. for collection tomorrow.
Many residents today picked up overturned carts and cleaned up the material that spilled.  Thanks for keeping our city beautiful. 

Parks

A number of calls were received by Parks crew regarding damage to City trees.  Tree damage assessment teams were out in the field responding to the calls and prioritizing responses and service by assessing level of hazard. Crews will continue to address high priority hazardous or potentially hazardous situations over the evening.  Other reports regarding damanaged trees will be addressed during regular business hours.  If public has a significant concern, please call the 24-hour Public Works hotline at 306-975-2476.
Transportation
The is a traffic signal pole that was downed at Central Avenue and Attridge Drive will have to be replaced by crews in the morning when the wind is at a safer level. All other traffic signals are now operational with power restored.
Information for Residents and Visitors

The City would again like to remind residents to keep safety a priority during extreme weather events such as this one.  In an emergency, residents are to phone 911 for immediate assistance.
Should a power outage affect traffic lights, please remember to treat intersections as a four-way stop, pull over and call 306-975-2981 to report the outage.
Residents are also reminded to avoid all downed power lines, and call 306-975-2621 to report a live wire emergency.
Additionally, the City recommends residents look at their trees and property during the daylight hours to ensure the area is safe.
Unless there are unusual conditions overnight, the next update from the City will be tomorrow morning at approximately 9:30 a.m.  Over the evening, please continue to watch for more information on Service Alerts.
For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook.

As of December 31, 2013, City of Saskatoon Building Standards has issued building permits valuing $1,088,500,000 ($1.1 billion), which again exceeded the record total permit value by 0.6 percent ($1,082,100,000). 

The dollar figure translates to 5,020 permits issued, which was very close to the record total set in 2012 of 5,196 permits issued. 

“The housing and construction industry remains extremely strong which is excellent news for Saskatoon,” says Building Standards Director, Bob Baran.

Permits issued for residential construction projects – new builds and improvements – make up approximately 82 percent (4,092) of all building permits issued in 2013 and approximately 57 percent ($619.5 M) of the construction value.

“These include one and two-unit dwellings as well as secondary suites, apartments and row housing projects,” Baran says. “This is a slight decrease in permits of approximately 0.3 percent from 2012.”

Additionally, 12 building permits issued exceed a construction value of $10,000,000 compared to only 5 permits in 2012.  There were 116 permits that had a value of construction between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000.

City Manager Murray Totland calls the record a “sign of a thriving city.”

“It is reflective of the tremendous growth and change that Saskatoon is experiencing”. Totland says.  “The record breaking construction also indicates the City of Saskatoon continues to support its vision of becoming a 21^st century city.”

Building Standards is responsible for approving building and plumbing permits and related inspection programs.  The division administers the regulations contained in the Building Bylaw, the Swimming Pool Bylaw, the Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act, the National Building Code, and the Plumbing and Drainage Regulations.

For more City of Saskatoon Public Service Announcements, News Releases, Traffic Detours and Service Alerts, visit www.saskatoon.ca or connect with the City of Saskatoon on Twitter and Facebook. 

 Starting at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, January 15, the Broadway Bridge eastbound curb lane will be closed while City crews thaw a storm water outfall below the bridge that is causing surface flooding.  The eastbound pedestrian walkway will also be closed during this process.

The roadway is expected to re-open by 2:00 p.m., weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.  The City thanks everyone for their patience.

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through a work zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find up-to-date traffic detour information at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Traffic is being restricted on Confederation Drive northbound at 22nd Street due to a break on the water main.  City crews will be on-site making repairs beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 4, but the restriction is in place now due to damage that occurred on the roadway.  Traffic will squeeze to the curb lane for half of the block between 22nd Street and the main west entrance to the Confederation Park shopping mall. 

Both west entrances to the shopping centre remain open, but drivers are cautioned to expect delays in the area.  Some businesses in the area may be affected by the water service outage.

This is the second water main break at this location over the past month, but the cause or extent of the damage is unknown at this time.  The roadway is expected to reopen in the early-evening on Saturday, January 4, weather permitting and barring any unforeseen circumstances.  The City thanks drivers for their patience.

Drivers are reminded to allow extra time when travelling through the orange zone, watch for pedestrians and work crews, and for everyone’s safety, please obey all detours, signs and barriers.

Know before you go! Find up-to-date traffic detour information at www.saskatoon.ca/go/traffic and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.