Saskatchewan Drive can be rebuilt to make it cheaper, safer
We know one-lane model works, says Stephen Raitz.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created major fiscal shortfalls for the City of Edmonton. We have an idea to help meet this challenge: Rebuild Saskatchewan Drive between 104 Street and 109 Street for short- and longterm savings.
The city plans to rehabilitate Saskatchewan Drive over the coming years, replacing the current road with a similar but upgraded design. The first piece of this rehabilitation will occur with the replacement of the Duggan Bridge (which is between 108 Street and 106 Street along Saskatchewan Drive). The bridge replacement is planned and funded for completion over the next few years.
If the city is serious about finding new cost savings, Duggan Bridge and Saskatchewan Drive should be rebuilt to serve only one driving lane. This will reduce the amount of infrastructure built, decreasing construction and future maintenance costs.
It will also eliminate the need to build an expensive cantilevered structure for cyclists and pedestrians, which is planned to jut out over the river valley at Saskatchewan and 105 Street. All we need is a simple shared use-path that's wide enough to ensure that everyone walking, biking, scooting, or using other mobility devices along the corridor can do so safely.
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city reallocated space along this same portion of Saskatchewan Drive. It changed the north eastbound vehicle lane into an expansion of the multi-use path. The south eastbound vehicle lane remained, as did the street parking.
Edmontonians got a glimpse into what Saskatchewan Drive can truly be. The posted speed limit of 40 km/ h made the street safer for all Edmontonians. Crossing one lane of vehicle traffic, as opposed to two lanes, made the area
Edmontonians flocked to the street for socially distant walks and a breath of fresh air.
more accessible for folks with limited mobility. The reclaimed portion of the roadway was filled with cyclists, scooters, pedestrians, and other active road users. Edmontonians flocked to the street for socially distant walks and a breath of fresh air. The narrowed roadway still conveyed significant traffic volumes without delays.
Former board member with Paths for People and transportation engineer Marcel Huculak has developed a report that studies the potential redesign of this corridor for one lane of vehicle traffic, as opposed to the proposed two lanes. This approach would not increase congestion for vehicles in the long term. It balances the needs of vehicles and people getting around and ensures safety for all users.
The experience Edmontonians had along this street during this spring, summer and fall indicate that we can rebuild Duggan Bridge and Saskatchewan Drive for short-term and longterm savings. The report we created affirms this and envisions a design for the roadway that mitigates concerns around traffic congestion, while also creating a safer street.
Saskatchewan Drive is emblematic of the broader decisions we need to make as a city to adjust for the repercussions of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Finding ways to save does not mean that we need to cut and slash projects. We need to reimagine how we do things as a city to grow and renew ourselves more efficiently and sustainably.
Building Saskatchewan Drive between
104 Street and 109 Street for one lane of traffic is a great example of how we can reimagine how our city works to create savings. It still provides the capacity required for vehicle, transit, and active transportation traffic. This also creates a safer and more livable street for all Edmontonians to enjoy.
Paths for People is excited to offer this winwin solution as a means to create savings and a safer street. The city may say it's too late to change the project. But it wasn't too late to roll back the e-bike grant. That decision saved $100,000. This decision, to narrow the road and bridge, would save even more.
And in the interim, can't we keep the pylons up? That barely costs anything at all.