SASKATOON — The City of Saskatoon says it will pursue all available legal avenues to recover the cost of damages and possible repairs to municipal infrastructure following two incidents, including the recent one involving the 108th Street overpass.
This is the second incident in a week in which a truck damaged public infrastructure. Last week, on March 5, a semi-trailer hauling an excavator that was too tall to pass under the structure hit the underside of the overpass while entering the city from Highway 11 in the south.
Last week’s incident shattered the excavator in half after impact with the overpass and damaged key structural components of the bridge, leading to traffic restrictions and rerouting in the area. The incident at 108th Street was minor and caused traffic on Circle Drive to move slowly.
City solicitor Cindy Yelland said the city routinely takes legal action against individuals or companies responsible for damaging public infrastructure.
“The city takes all legal steps to collect damages from any individual or corporation that damages city infrastructure. This can be either through restitution imposed by a court for an offence or through a civil litigation claim,” said Yelland in a statement sent to SaskToday.
“Each case is different, and there is often an insurance company involved that pays for all or a portion of the claim. The city intends to pursue all legal avenues to recover damages for the two recent incidents. Provincial and federal regulations regulate trucking in Saskatchewan.”
She added that The Highways and Transportation Act lists a variety of offences and corresponding fines, with a maximum of $200 for a first offence and $500 for subsequent offences, that can be imposed for damaging public property and improvements.
However, the city increased fines for damaging municipal infrastructure following an amendment to the traffic bylaw a few years ago. The maximum fines the city can impose under the bylaw are also set by provincial legislation.
Under the city’s traffic bylaw, an individual can be fined a maximum of $10,000, and a corporation can be fined a maximum of $20,000. The fines are only the maximum the city can impose; the court will set the actual amount.
Yelland said additional charges will be filed for incidents like this, and it will be up to the investigating authorities, such as the Saskatoon Police Service. She added that the city has also taken steps to share information so everyone is aware of the current bylaw provisions.
The city also provided an update on the 108th Street overpass, where contractors were on the scene Thursday morning, March 12, to remove loose concrete and make the overpass safe for drivers travelling underneath. At around 4:40 p.m., the city lifted the traffic restrictions on Circle Drive at the 108th Street overpass.
All loose concrete was removed from the overpass, and the area is safe for drivers travelling underneath. City engineers have also conducted a secondary damage assessment to understand better the scope of future repairs to the overpass, which remains safe for use.
