One of the busiest intersections in Saskatoon’s Exhibition neighbourhood is slated to get a full set of traffic lights.

Despite its high volume of traffic, the intersection of Ruth Street and Lorne Avenue is only marked with a four-way stop. The City of Saskatoon says the intersection was approved for traffic lights last December and the signs will be replaced with controlled traffic lights by late September.

For pedestrians like Murray Welder, who lives nearby, the facelift is long overdue.

“I’ve seen lots and lots of accidents here and they should have been replaced years and years ago,” Welder said.

The crossroad is especially congested this week, with the Saskatoon Exhibition underway at the nearby Praireland Park. More than 320 events are held annually at the park.

Evan Ewan, who was heading over to the Ex with some friends Thursday morning, said he took nearly a couple of minutes to cross the street because of the congestion.

“We did not know when to cross. A trucker had to tell us to cross and if we didn’t know we would’ve just been sitting there,” he said.

The City of Saskatoon says it will begin installation of traffic lights once the Saskatoon Ex and Folkfest wrap up. A completion date is set for Sept. 30.