A realignment of Highway 11 is being considered as the Ministry of Highways continues planning for a Saskatoon Freeway.

The most workable of four options for the 10 kilometre northern section includes traffic flowing from Highway 11 onto Wanuskewin Road.

Ministry Senior Project Manager Geoff Meinert says in addition to solving technical issues the majority of vehicles currently take that route into the city. Meinert pegs the current traffic flow in that direction at about 52 percent or 23,000 vehicles a day and projects maximum future traffic flow north on Wanuskewin to peak at 4,000 vehicles an hour.

Wanuskewin officials also asked for direct highway access into the Heritage Park.

The ministry will do further study to narrow the width of the northern section from 500 to about 100m and believe they will have the streamlined route mapped out in late 2021.

Planning for the eastern section is expected to start in 2020.

The entire freeway will be designed for a maximum speed limit of 110km an hour with enough land to handle a city population of 750,000 and another 100,000 people from the surrounding area.

Meinert says the freeway they start building in about 10-to-15 years may be smaller with the ability to expand if necessary.

Two open houses are planned in mid-to-late November. The Ministry of Highways elaborated on plans for a perimeter highway Tuesday after the Saskatoon’s Transportation Committee got the low-down from its transportation manager on Monday.

(CJWW)