About 50 people visited the online survey set up to capture feedback on the Phase One design concepts for the Saskatoon Freeway. The survey closed on March 13.
This online feedback is in addition to written and verbal comments received from more than 25 per cent of the 140 people who attended a public information session on February 26.
Highlights of the comments and questions from the survey and public information session feedback included:
- Impact of the freeway on access for local residents and landowners
- Truck traffic impacts, including freeway access for over dimension vehicles
- Access to Corman Industrial Park
- Access to Saskatoon from north of the city
- Concerns regarding the Phase One route and its environmental impact on the swales
- Timing for start of construction
- Questions about the lack of a west side component that would create a full circle connection for the Freeway
- Impact of the partial closure of existing Highway 11
More than 50 per cent of respondents said they were very satisfied or satisfied with the public engagement process used in Phase One.
The Saskatoon Freeway Functional Planning Study project team is incorporating this feedback into final recommendations on the preferred alignment for Phase One, which includes specific interchange configurations being proposed for:
- Highway 11, Wanuskewin Road, and Penner Road
- Highway 12 interchange
- Highway 16 interchange
Information on each configuration can be found here.
With public consultation on Phase One now complete, the project team will seek endorsement for the preferred Phase One route from adjacent municipalities over the summer months, before seeking approval from the Ministry of Highways. Once approved, the current 500-metre-wide corridor in which land development has been restricted will be reduced by 75 per cent.
Later this spring, stakeholder engagement work will begin on Phase Two of the Saskatoon Freeway Functional Project Study, which will focus on the eastern and southeastern portion of the proposed freeway route. Key milestones for Phase Two work will be posted on saskatoonfreeway.org
Currently, there is no timeline for construction of the Saskatoon Freeway.