Typically, any large-scale road planning project begins with a general location study which determines a corridor for construction. For the Saskatoon Freeway, the general location study was completed in 2018 and the corridor for the Saskatoon Freeway was endorsed by the City of Saskatoon and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park.

A functional study is the next step and focuses on finalizing additional concept design, including setting the centre line of the freeway and defining types of interchanges and service roads needed to get on and off the freeway. When the preferred route is approved, the current 500-metre-wide corridor will be reduced by approximately 75 per cent. Restrictions on development will be limited to a much smaller area of land.

COVID-19 and its impact on stakeholder engagement

While the functional study will continue as the province deals with COVID-19, the way we engage with stakeholders will change. This is a key component of the project and we recognize the need to have important and frank discussion. We are utilizing online communication tools which provide face-to-face contact as well telephone conversations and other digital technology to assist us in hearing comments and concerns. We continue to post information to our website and plan to utilize video in our content as work begins on Phase 2.