SASKATOON -- City Council will look at options presented by administration for overpasses at three rail crossings in Saskatoon.
On Monday, the transportation committee voted in favour of forwarding a report to council, outlining a recommendation to prioritize rail crossings at Marquis Drive, 11th Street West and Preston Avenue for further planning, which could lead to the eventual construction of overpasses.
The report from city administration listed nine possible rail crossings as candidates for potential "grade separation" allowing for either an underpass or overpass to be built.
One location that did not make the priority list was the rail crossing on 22nd Street West near downtown.
The report said the location would have the best cost-benefit ratio. However the area would pose challenges with local road access and the amount of private property adjacent to the crossing.
"Doing grade separation on 22nd street for instance, while it would have tremendous transportation benefits, would have huge community planning and access implications that are not worth it unfortunately, ” said Ward 2 Councillor Hilary Gough.
Councillor Randy Donauer questioned why the 22nd street crossing would not be prioritized considering it’s slated to be used as a main line as part of plans for Bus Rapid Transit.
City administration said the crossing on 22nd Street would not have a large impact on the BRT system, and potential delays would be mitigated since buses would have signal priority throughout the line.
The transportation committee forwarded the report for council to make a decision on at a future meeting.
