Drivers heading down Saskatoon’s 25th Street East hoping to hit Idylwyld Drive will no longer have to backtrack.
The city’s 25th Street extension opened to traffic Tuesday aftrernoon with the newly constructed roadway extending 25th Street past First Avenue to Idylwyld Drive.
“Easing traffic congestion is one of our top priorities,” Mayor Don Atchison said in a news release. “Twenty-Fifth Street is now a major connector that will improve traffic flow throughout the entire downtown area.”
Prior to construction, traffic heading west on 25th had to backtrack down First Avenue to 24th Street, before hitting Idylwyld Drive.
City officials expect to see 25,000 vehicles use the extension each day and estimate a decrease in traffic on 22nd, 24th, 29th and 33rd streets.
The extension will also provide access to the city’s new police headquarters, which is set to open January, and trains will continue to cross Idylwyld at 25th Street.
City officials said early last month the extension project would open mid-November, but the project was delayed as Canadian Pacific Rail tested rail crossing signals.
“The way 25th Street is now aligned provides a safe rail crossing which will minimize rail and vehicle conflicts,” Atchison said.
The rail tracks do not directly cross the newly extended street — 25th Street East is south of the tracks while 25th Street West is north.
The project’s construction director Chris Hallam thanked residents for their patience. Construction kept several lanes closed on Idylwyld Drive for months.
“While we took measures to minimize traffic disruptions, we know that residents were inconvenienced with the construction and we sincerely thank everyone for their patience,” Hallam said.
The entire project has so far cost $24.1 million. Streetscaping on the extension will be completed in the spring of 2014.
The first phase of the project, which included rehabilitating existing sections of 25th Street, was completed in 2006.
