MOOSE JAW — With semi-trucks regularly hitting the Main Street North bridge over Highway 1 because of their tall loads, the province has decided to upgrade that structure to prevent those incidents from happening.
The Ministry of Highways recently tendered a project with an estimated cost of $33.7 million to rebuild and raise the two overpasses on Highway 2 over the Trans-Canada Highway, a ministry spokesman said by email.
PCL Construction Management was the successful bidder of the tender and plans to start construction this April, with a completion goal of the fall of 2026, weather permitting.
“During construction, drivers can expect delays and disruptions. We urge them to slow down and obey all signs in the work zone to protect themselves and our workers,” the spokesman said. “We thank drivers in advance for their patience as we work to improve safety and capacity at this important intersection.”
Meanwhile, officials from city hall said after the recent city council meeting that they were waiting to receive more updates about the project from the ministry. Once they acquired that information, city hall would pass it along to residents.
Officials noted that the ministry was expected to raise the bridge by one metre to a new height of 5.5 metres.
Meanwhile, city administration said it had not heard or received any new information from the ministry about potentially enhancing the safety at the intersection of Highway 1 and Ninth Avenue Northwest.
In the email, the ministry spokesman said the province continues to review public and stakeholder feedback as it works toward a long-term plan for the Highway 1 corridor through Moose Jaw. However, he did not indicate when — or if — the ministry might decide to enhance safety at this intersection.
The City of Moose Jaw held a town hall at the Events Centre on Dec. 1, 2022, to hear from residents about their concerns with the intersection of Ninth Avenue Northwest and Highway 1. Furthermore, the community’s three emergency services branches discussed their perspective about that area.
In February 2023, the ministry announced that it was planning a corridor study for Highway 1 through Moose Jaw that would focus on four main intersections and wanted public feedback about the proposed upgrades.
The project’s goals included developing a plan to improve safety and traffic flow, identifying solutions at the main intersections and determining how to reconfigure the Highway 2 interchange.
Since then, however, the province has not said anything about either the survey results or what safety-focused approach it might take.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, March 10.
