City to shut roadway despite community pleas
Saskatoon motorists can enjoy easy access to a scenic stretch of roadway along the South Saskatchewan River until next spring.
After that, the city plans to close the 1.5-kilometre stretch of Spadina Crescent West, limiting access to people who live along Spadina and converting a portion to become part of the Meewasin Trail system.
John Dubets, who said he was appearing on behalf of the King George Community Association, made one last effort on Monday to convince city hall to abandon the road closure.
“Spadina Crescent South is a great amenity for King George and the rest of the city,” Dubets told city council’s transportation committee. “It’s a shame to lose it.”
In May 2017, council voted unanimously to close the stretch of Spadina along with smaller parts of Avenue H and 11th Street West so that greater security could be established at the city’s water treatment plant.
The closure is happening a year later than first expected. It’s not yet known whether the final security design will be a wall or a fence.
The three roadways converge at the water treatment plant, which lies on the west side of the river between the Holiday Park and King George neighbourhoods. No other known water treatment plants in Canada are dissected by roads, according to the city administration.
Council also voted to close the stretch of Spadina south of the water plant to prevent commuters from cutting through the streets in the Holiday Park neighbourhood.
Dubets, the civics director and past president of the King George Community Association, said in an interview last week that he is concerned motorists will cut through the streets in the King George neighbourhood instead.
A traffic study in the area showed no major concerns, he said on Monday.
“Now if you close that street, that changes dramatically,” Dubets added.
A period of construction at the water plant a few years ago offered a glimpse into the traffic issues that could be caused by the road closures, he said.
Dubets questioned the motive for closing the streets, noting he has not heard of an attack on a water treatment plant anywhere in the world.
Most of the 14 speakers who addressed council on the matter more than a year ago opposed the closures. Employees at the Queen Elizabeth Power Plant use the stretch of Spadina to commute to and from work.
The Rural Municipality of Corman Park also opposed the closures, since some residents of the RM use Spadina to commute to work and RM business owners saw it as an essential access route.
More than 20 homes are located along Spadina in the Holiday Park neighbourhood.