Saskatoon StarPhoenix

Norris says he has connection­s to fix long waits at rail crossings

- ALEX MACPHERSON amacpherso­n@postmedia.com twitter.com/macpherson­a

Mayoral candidate Rob Norris says his political connection­s and ability to negotiate with the country's major railways could lead to “quick wins” on an issue that has frustrated Saskatoon drivers for decades.

Norris favours building overpasses as the solution to traffic congestion caused by Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd.'s main line, which snakes through the city and crosses more than a dozen different streets.

“The trains are going to get longer. We welcome that; that's about jobs in Saskatoon. What we want to do is have moms and dads being able to get to their kids and get home a little quicker,” Norris said.

Speaking to reporters at a news conference on Thursday, Norris called the last two mayors' work on the file an “abject failure.” However, his proposed solution is broadly similar to city hall's current direction on the file.

Norris did not get into specifics but suggested taking advantage of provincial infrastruc­ture funding, as well as green infrastruc­ture dollars from the federal government, as overpasses would alleviate the issue of idling cars.

Rail relocation has long been a thorny issue in Saskatoon. Former mayor Sid Buckwold successful­ly moved CN'S line out of the city in the 1960s, but repeated attempts to achieve the same with CP have ended in failure.

Last month, both railways panned a proposal by a consultant hired by city hall that they share CN'S corridor south of the city — a massive project estimated to cost $589 million — as unfeasible and “fundamenta­lly unworkable.”

The same consultant deemed that option financiall­y unviable, and said the same of building more than a dozen overpasses and underpasse­s at an estimated cost of $374 million. That came with the caveat that some considerat­ions are difficult to measure.

At a meeting in early September, city council's transporta­tion committee asked staff to look into the possibilit­y of building some aboveor below-grade crossings with the aim of solving some traffic issues.

Despite failing to do so during his 13 years in office, Don Atchison — who is seeking a political comeback this fall — told reporters last month that he is the best person to negotiate a solution with top CP and CN executives.

Mayoral candidate Cary Tarasoff proposes a tunnel under the city, saying previous councils have never seriously considered the idea, which he insisted could be feasible.

Charlie Clark, who is aiming to win a second term in office, said it was important to hear from the railways on the proposed shared corridor because “we don't want to be chasing ideas that are not feasible any further than it's worth.”

Norris also reiterated his economic plan — which includes naming himself chief growth officer, holding a jobs summit and improving the city's first economic growth strategy — at the news conference on Thursday.

The event was held at Enviroway Detergent Manufactur­ing Inc.'s facility in the north industrial area. Bob Behari, the company's CEO and a Norris supporter, said the former provincial politician helps businesses like no other candidate.

Saskatoon residents go to the polls on Nov. 9.

 ?? MICHELLE BERG ?? Mayoral candidate Rob Norris says attempts by other mayors to resolve delays at railway crossings have been an `abject failure.'
MICHELLE BERG Mayoral candidate Rob Norris says attempts by other mayors to resolve delays at railway crossings have been an `abject failure.'

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