Circle Drive South Project, Canada

The Circle Drive South project in Saskatoon, Canada, is the largest single public construction project in the city to date. Construction work on the $272.5m project began in May 2010 and the road is expected to be open to traffic in October 2012.

The ground-breaking ceremony was held on 28 May 2010 in Diefenbaker Park. In the south-west corner of the park, a small walkway has been constructed so the public can follow the progress of the six-lane bridge and eight kilometres of connecting freeway.

Both commercial and non-commercial vehicles are expected to benefit from the project. Once completed, the road project will connect the city with national and international trade routes, and, by reducing travel time, it is forecast that the new road will reduce traffic congestion and harmful gas emissions.

Circle Drive South project

The project is part of the Circle Drive freeway system, which, in turn, is a part of the Provincial and National Highway Systems. When finished, the project, together with a new bridge that will be built on the South Saskatchewan River, will complete the freeway system.

The project comprises a six-lane bridge construction and pedestrian and cyclist paths. Four interchanges will be built at Idylwyld Drive, Lorne Avenue, Valley Road and 11th Street. 7km of expressway will be constructed from Clarence Avenue to Clancy Drive. The project also consists of four rail-grade separation crossings and noise-reduction walls.

In June 2010, 11th Street between Avenue W and Circle Drive was closed for two years to allow construction of the Circle Drive / 11th Street interchange. Until then, traffic will be diverted along Fletcher Road and Dundonald Avenue.

The expressway will be divided into four to six lanes. A pedestrian and cyclist facility will also be created to cross the South Saskatchewan River for access to the MVA Trails.

Contractors

The design and build contract was awarded to Graham Flatiron joint venture in March 2010. The preliminary design and project alignment of the bridge were carried out by Stantec Consulting.

The design and build subcontract has been given to AECOM. The company, acting as lead designer, will be responsible for supplying design services to the new south bridge. The company will also render its services to railway, environmental site-remediation, and storm-water and noise-reduction wall facilities.

Financing

The cost of the road project is estimated to be $288m. The funding will be provided by various government agencies: the Federal Government will contribute $96m, the Provincial Government $98.5m, the City of Saskatoon $93m and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park will fund $200,000.

After the bidding process, the Federal Government's contribution was slashed by $10m, as the winner's bid was well below the initial projected investment.

The contractors have received around $48m for land acquisition, geotechnical and on-site planning.

South Saskatchewan River bridge construction

The new six-lane bridge over the South Saskatchewan River is an important part of the project. It will function as a bypass, helping improve traffic flow in Saskatoon's downtown core. It will also reduce traffic congestion on the Sid Buckwold Bridge.

Based on current traffic modelling, the bridge is expected to serve 27,500 vehicles a day once the city population reaches 250,000 (population growth rate 2.8%). The third, high-speed river crossing will help reduce transit time for people and goods to and from the city.

The Federal and provincial governments have allocated $86.5m for the construction of the bridge.