Traffic Bridge ‘can’t open soon enough for us,’ couple says
Kevin and Heather Acton are thrilled about the October opening of the rebuilt Traffic Bridge.
The Actons, who have lived on McPherson Avenue near Ninth Street for 29 years, look forward to using the bridge again to walk downtown from Nutana.
They are also expecting a lot less traffic on McPherson once Victoria Avenue, which connects to the bridge, is reopened.
The original Traffic Bridge, which opened in 1907 to connect Nutana to downtown, closed for good eight years ago.
“We’re excited,” Heather said in an interview Thursday. “We used to use the bridge regularly when it was open. The bridge can’t open soon enough for us.”
In addition to enduring the closure of their regular route to downtown, people like the Actons have experienced a lot of the inconvenience entailed in building the new structure.
With Victoria Avenue closed due to bridge construction, McPherson became the preferred route for the trucks hauling material to and from the site.
Kevin said he’s been told 1,000 trucks of aggregate and concrete have passed by his house during the construction of the bridge.
“So we saw a significant change over the last three years,” Kevin said in an interview.
Both said they want Saskatoon city hall to hold off on a plan to close Ninth Street access to the Idylwyld Freeway until the Traffic Bridge is reopened so motorists can adjust. City council will vote on closing Ninth Street for a year on Monday as an experiment.
The Actons said nobody can really predict the traffic patterns when the bridge reopens.
“Eight years is a lot of time for changes in the neighbourhood,” Heather said.
Even though the Actons live closer to the Idylwyld walkway across the Senator Sidney L. Buckwold Bridge, they preferred the Traffic Bridge because there’s fewer vehicles and it’s less dusty.
Catherine Folkersen, the president of the Nutana Community Association, said in an email the community is looking forward to the new bridge and called the Buckwold bridge “a disgusting walk at the best of times.”
Coun. Cynthia Block, who represents Nutana and downtown, said many are looking forward to the new bridge, although some are apprehensive about increased traffic.
Victoria Avenue is being revamped with wider sidewalks that include cycling tracks that connect from Eighth Street to the new bridge. One southbound vehicle lane has been eliminated to accommodate the bike lanes.
The new Traffic Bridge also features three-metre cycling-pedestrian pathways on either side.
Allen Malbec, who owns Homestead Ice Cream located at Victoria and Main Street, said he is unsure what to expect when the Traffic Bridge reopens.
The bridge has been closed the entire time Malbec has owned Homestead, but Malbec said sales have increased each of the last four years despite road construction in the vicinity.
“I wish I could give you a more solid answer, but I have no idea what to expect,” Malbec said in an interview. “I’m anticipating that it’s going to be good.”
Malbec pointed out how much the city has grown during the bridge’s closure. Saskatoon’s population in 2010 was about 227,000 and has risen to 278,500 in the city’s latest estimate this month.
“It’s a completely new city,” Malbec said.
Neither the new Traffic Bridge nor Chief Mistawasis Bridge, which are being built together as part of a $252.6-million P3 project, are expected to open early, according to the City of Saskatoon.
The bike path under the south end of the Traffic Bridge has reopened, although it may not remain open entirely until the bridge is completed.
The tennis courts next to the bridge in Rotary Park are expected to be restored by October.