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Ceremonial shovels went into the ground Thursday as the City of Regina kicked off the revitalization of Dewdney Avenue.
The two-year, $32-million construction project is to begin Monday and will turn Dewdney between Albert and Broad streets into what the city called “a more aesthetically pleasing and vibrant corridor for the public to enjoy with improved pedestrian and driver safety.”
The project will see the replacement of aging underground infrastructure, a new road surface, widened sidewalks, improved lighting, multi-purpose outdoor spaces, a tree canopy and landscaping.
In a release, the city said the work on Dewdney is a part of The Yards Railyard Renewal Project, a $64-millon project funded by the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan and the City of Regina.
(Daniel Reech/980 CJME)
“(It’s great) to actually have the plan approved and all of the engineering and design work done so that we can design (Dewdney Avenue) to be more commensurate with what you would expect of kind of a cool Warehouse neighbourhood,” Mayor Sandra Masters said.
“This is an exceptional neighbourhood here in our city centre core. Connectivity to downtown is massively important.”
The City of Regina purchased the land known as The Yards in 2012 and funding for it was approved in 2018.
Masters said it was intended to be a mixed-use site and said it contains the potential for an undecided recreational facility.
The mayor was asked why it took so long for the project to get underway.
“From a design work perspective, that takes a year to two on normally on average. There’s a lot of engineering that goes into the roadway,” she said.
“Why it’s taken to this city council term, I can’t entirely speak to that. It wasn’t worked into a five-year budget when the funding was announced so I think I’m just really pleased it’s happening now so that two years from now, we can have land available that’s got the services necessary to build here (and) actually revitalize the Yards and connect into our city centre core.”
Deputy city manager Kurtis Doney said the first year of construction is going to focus on underground infrastructure like water mains and sewer mains.
He said paving and beautification of the street will happen next year.
“We’ve got water mains that are over 100 years old underneath of Dewdney Avenue right now and we’re looking forward to replacing those and having brand new infrastructure ready to service for the next 100 years,” Doney said.
Doney said it’s important for the underground pipes to be sized to accommodate any future development.
Doney said the project costs around $32 million, and the city will contribute roughly $11 million.
In 2018, the project was slated to cost roughly $33.6 million with the provincial, municipal and federal governments all chipping in a little more than $11 million.
Leasa Gibbons, the executive director for Regina’s Warehouse Business Improvement District, said the infrastructure will have a huge impact on building density in the area.
“For a business to not only survive but thrive, we need this investment in infrastructure,” she said.
“We’re going to transform this traffic corridor into a main street and that’s going to have a generational impact to our city that most other cities are frankly dying for. They would love to have this happen in their city.”
The work to be done on the project in 2024 is to be completed in multiple phases. The city reminded drivers to expect closures, lane restrictions and speed reductions along Dewdney as the construction happens.
“Dewdney Avenue is a signature route in Regina,” Don McMorris, Saskatchewan’s minister of government relations, said in a release. “The community will benefit from the needed revitalization of this crucial corridor.
“This project will provide long-term viability and improved access to the area while making it a more desirable tourist destination. Investments like these are crucial to building and protecting a future growth in Regina and Saskatchewan.”
Parking will be limited on Dewdney, but drivers can park along the north-south streets throughout the Warehouse District and on The Yards site during construction. The city said there will be access and crosswalks to the temporary parking site at both Scarth and Hamilton streets.
Starting Monday, transit routes along Dewdney will be temporarily redirected to Eighth Avenue for the duration of the work.
— With files from 980 CJME’s Daniel Reech