City apologizes as construction sparks chaos for drivers
Lack of signage warning of construction causes traffic jam during morning rush
The City of Regina is apologizing after a failure to post the proper construction signage resulted in a major traffic jam in southeast Regina on Wednesday morning.
Residents reported waits of up to two or three hours after getting stuck in the University Park area due to the unexpected closure of the Assiniboine Avenue east ramp to the Ring Road.
“All of a sudden it become a mini New York, said Ward 4 Coun. Lori Bresciani. “Traffic was literally on every street you could imagine in University Park, and people couldn’t get out.”
With no advanced warning of the closure and what residents describe as a lack of signage far enough in advance of the closures, commuters flooded University Park Drive and Arcola Avenue, then struggled to find a way out.
Bresciani started getting calls from outraged residents at 7 a.m.
“I just kept hearing, ‘Unacceptable,’ ” she said.
“Residents were not very happy.”
She said drivers were attempting U-turns; those who could, parked and walked to work so they wouldn’t be late; city and school buses were delayed; and parents were concerned about their kids walking to school with so much more traffic in the area.
The city received just under 70 phone calls, social media posts and tweets complaining about the congestion.
A couple posts simply called the situation “horrible.”
By 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, city officials called a news conference to address the issue.
“The city would like to apologize to residents and understands the driver frustration, concerns and inconvenience happening in the southwest leg of the Ring Road,” said Norm Kyle, the City of Regina’s director of roadways and transportation.
“This morning was particularly difficult as the city failed to let residents know of changes to detours and did not have adequate signage up along the construction route for the work taking place on the Ring Road.”
During the past couple of weeks, Arcola Avenue ramps have been closed due to the road work.
On Tuesday night, crews reopened the Arcola ramps, and the Assiniboine ramp was closed off instead.
According to Kyle, a switch like that is usually done over two to three days to give drivers adequate notice.
However, due to the nature of the detour, it had to be done all at once, and the proper signage didn’t get posted in time for the morning commute.
“The residents got to the construction detour before realizing that the ramps were closed on Assiniboine,” said Kyle.
“We needed better and more signage, and we’ve taken care of that already this morning.”
Additional signs were later posted in the area, and some existing signs were moved, according to Kyle.
The mishap was touted as a rare occurrence, and Kyle said the process will still be reviewed to ensure something like this isn’t repeated, and residents are informed in advance to plan alternate routes.
But some residents are frustrated something like this has happened in an area already plagued by congestion.
“When people hear that the plan to widen the bridges is 25 years out, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” said Bresciani.
Arcola Avenue, which took the brunt of the congestion Wednesday morning, sees approximately 45,000 vehicles on the road in a day, according to Kyle.
During peak traffic hours, that number is about 4,000 to 5,000.
Bresciani said residents feel like they’re not being heard, and Wednesday’s kerfuffle just added to the frustration. She said congestion remains a great concern as Regina’s southeast population continues to grow.
The city hopes to have the project done by July 13, except for the Victoria Avenue on- and off-ramps over the service road, which will continue until October.
Work includes paving the north lane of Ring Road and the on- and off-ramps for Arcola and Assiniboine avenues.
“We thank residents for their patience and understanding as we work to improve the road network,” said Kyle.
“We are committed to doing a better job with our signing and informing residents of major projects we have in progress.”