TRAVEL SPADINA? DETOUR AHEAD

Last week, city council made the rare decision to permanently close an intersection in the King George neighbourhood and a 1.5-kilometre stretch of Spadina Crescent. Phil Tank explains.

Qbeing Why are the roadways closed? A The intersection of Avenue H South, Spadina Crescent West and 11th Street West is being closed so security at the city’s water treatment plant can be increased with a fence. Saskatoon’s plant is the only known plant of its kind in North America that has a roadway running through it. The longer stretch of Spadina is being closed to prevent people who use the roadway from cutting through the quiet neighbourhood streets of Holiday Park. Q How many people are affected? A The city estimates about 600 people use the stretch of Spadina daily during the summer, and about 220 use it in winter. Workers at the Queen Elizabeth Power Station use Spadina for access from the city, while some businesses in the Rural Municipality (RM) of Corman Park rely on Spadina. The RM strongly opposes the closure, since residents also use it to commute into Saskatoon. Q When will the roads be closed? A Not until the fall at the earliest, but it may take until the spring of 2018. The city plans to provide an update with a timeline in the next few weeks. Q What happens to the 1.5-km stretch of Spadina? A The roadway will be converted to form part of the Meewasin Valley Authority trail. The city will work with the MVA on the design and take measures to make sure the closed road does not become a gathering place. The stretch slated for closure runs from just northeast of Circle Drive to just south of Schuyler Street, east of the Gordie Howe Management Area. A cul-de-sac will be built at the north end of the closure. Q How long has this closure been brewing? A Parts of Avenue H and 11th Street were expected to be closed when the city first announced a $150-million expansion of the water treatment plant in 2003. Three years later, the city either abandoned or postponed a plan to close the Avenue H and 11th Street intersection, while extending 17th Street in the West Industrial area so it connects to Avenue W South and 11th Street West. The plan to extend 17th would have used the old CN Rail right of way and created another connection to Spadina north of the water treatment plant. The 17th Street extension remains part of the city’s long-term plan. Q How rare is it for the city to close a road? A Assistant director of transportation Jay Magus says the city closes one or two rights-of-way a month, mostly to make way for development, with an alternate route established. Closures not linked to development include part of 14th Street between Lansdowne Avenue and Temperance Street this year and part of Dundonald Avenue about five years ago.