By Adriana Christianson

Saskatchewan truck drivers happy with Regina Bypass plan

May 6, 2014 | 7:11 AM

Truck drivers in Saskatchewan are looking forward to a time when they will be able to avoid the traffic on Victoria Avenue or Dewdney by using the Regina bypass.

The bypass will start at Tower Road east of the city and wrap all the way around the south and west side to connect with Highway 1 and Highway 11 to the north.

Now the major systems interchange is one step closer to becoming a reality after the federal government announced $200 million towards the project through P3 Canada.

Al Rosseker is the executive director of the Saskatchewan Truckers Association and from his perspective, the bypass can't come soon enough. He describes driving down Victoria Avenue east to get to the Ring Road as very frustrating.

“Trying to be politically correct, it’s awful,” he commented, following the announcement of funding for the bypass. “These are slow-moving, they don’t go zero to 60 in four seconds. So anytime they’re backed up, of course cars are backed up.”

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Rosseker is happy to hear that someday truckers will be able to avoid Victoria Avenue altogether. He calls it a win-win situation to improve both safety and efficiency.

“When the trucks stop, the economy stops, so from our stand-point it’s a matter of moving goods,” he explained.

Not only is it inconvenient to stop at every light, Rosseker says it's a serious safety issue.

“Get them bypassing and everyone’s going to be happy and safer,” he said.

While he would like to see more done in the meantime to improve the state of Victoria Avenue east, he said he understands if that can’t happen this year.

The province will be issuing request for qualifications from private companies to start the bidding process later this month. In the meantime, the ministry of highways and infrastructure will also be sending out letters to landowners to begin the negotiation process to buy the land required for the bypass.

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