An independent assessment just last year found barriers aren’t needed on a stretch of Circle Drive that has seen two fatal crashes in the last six months, the City of Saskatoon says.

Angela Gardiner, the city’s transportation director, said the Transportation Association of Canada review was conducted in late 2016 and looked at all safety systems along Circle Drive. The stretch of roadway between 108th Street and Attridge Drive, where two fatal crashes have occurred since September 2016, does not need barriers, the review determined.

“You look at the design of the roadway, the tightness of curves. You look at the design speeds, speed of travel of vehicles, and number of vehicles, volumes — things like that,” Gardiner said. “Based on all of those factors, it was determined just late last year that improvements, or specific barriers, along this stretch are not required.”

The first fatal crash, on Sept. 7, saw a vehicle travelling northbound on Circle Drive strike a piece of construction equipment, cross the median and hit a southbound Volkswagen Beetle near 108th Street, according to Saskatoon police.

The 70-year-old man driving the Beetle was pronounced dead at the scene. The teenage driver of the other vehicle, who’s since been charged, was taken to hospital but later released.

The second crash, which occurred Wednesday evening, saw a car crash head-on with a semi just south of Attridge Drive.

Police say the car, travelling southbound, left the road and crossed the ditch before hitting the northbound semi.

The driver and lone occupant of the car was extracted from the vehicle by emergency crews, but died at Royal University Hospital early Thursday morning. The semi driver was not injured.

Gardiner did not state if the city plans to conduct another assessment of Circle Drive following Wednesday’s crash.

“In any case, with this location or any other cases, if there’s any kind of extenuating circumstances, we would take a look at it, but as I mentioned, as per the national standards from Transportation Association of Canada, there is no requirement that barriers are included in this location.”

Installing barriers along Circle Drive’s median, between 108th Street and Attridge Drive, could cost roughly $500,000, depending on what type of barrier, she said.

--- based on a report by Mark Villani