Downtown Regina construction to take four years, starts next month

In just a few weeks, the City of Regina will start a downtown construction project that will stretch through the next four years and cause headaches for some.

The city is at the beginning of its 11th Avenue revitalization project, which will see the road and sidewalks torn up and replaced while at the same time upgrading water lines and allowing SaskPower and SaskTel to come in and upgrade their infrastructure as well.

Once it’s finished the new street will have enhanced pedestrian ramps and crossings, lighting, traffic signals, bus shelters, and amenities like benches and planters.

“The city’s really been working hard to revitalize the city centre – to contribute to a vibrant community, to bring economic prosperity to the downtown, (and) to bring a sense of community, safety and well-being,” explained Chris Warren, director of roadways and transportation with the City of Regina.

The infrastructure work was definitely needed, according to Warren, and the project has been planned for several years.

“We also want to bring a sense of attracting people to the downtown (and) activating the area. So it’s just one of those things where we’re working hard to both upgrade our infrastructure where it’s needed and where it’s required as well as bringing some vibrancy back to those locations,” said Warren.

However, the work will also likely cause some headaches for businesses in that area, and has already created a problem for the Regina Farmer’s Market.

After this summer the market will have to find a new outdoor location. The construction in 2024 and 2025 will shut down the 11th Avenue access to Cornwall Street so the only access to that street will be 12th Avenue, so Warren said the market won’t be able to shut down the Pat Fiacco Plaza twice a week.

“We’ve been working very closely with the Regina Farmer’s Market to ensure that we’re mitigating any issues with them holding their events,” said Warren.

The city’s major transit hub is on that stretch of 11th Avenue and Warren said the city has been working closely with transit operations to move bus stops.

The whole project is expected to cost $8 million over the four years.

The work will happen between May and October every year starting this summer and through 2026. The first stretch will be from Broad Street to just west of Hamilton Street.

Warren expects more details on the closures and impacts to transit to be released in the coming weeks.