New traffic control plans aim to ease congestion on Sask. Drive: SaskPower

Traffic appears to be flowing a bit better along Saskatchewan Drive.

At least that is what SaskPower has heard from crews working on that street.

The update comes nearly a week after SaskPower introduced new traffic control plans as the company work to upgrade electrical infrastructure on Saskatchewan Drive and 11th Avenue.

SaskPower spokesperson Scott McGregor said the updated plan was rolled out on May 18 after numerous traffic woes in the area, leaving some drivers stuck in the Cornwall Centre’s parkade for over an hour.

“As an interim measure – between when these concerns were first brought to our attention and when the new traffic control plan were put in place – we did deploy to flag persons to control the traffic and the flow of traffic along Sask. Drive to allow motorists to leave the parkade and continue on their way,” McGregor explained.

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With the new plan, McGregor explained that SaskPower extended the eastbound lanes so drivers can merge a little later than before.

He said that allowed them to phase out flag crews directing traffic.

“If we find the revised plan is not delivering as well as we were hoping, then we could we can deploy those flag personnel again to help keep the flow of traffic going,” he said.

As different sections of work are completed along Saskatchewan Drive, McGregor said traffic restrictions will change, but the restrictions currently in place will be unchanged for much of the summer.

“The majority of the construction is along the south side of Saskatchewan Drive,” he explained.

“Once phase two begins, that work will then transition to the north side of Saskatchewan Drive. It’s very fluid. As our work completes, we will be changing the restrictions.”

SaskPower said work along Saskatchewan Drive is expected to last until the end of August, while its project on 11th Avenue is expected to wrap up in October.