ctv news: Saskatoon’s University Bridge and a section of College Drive will close to almost all traffic starting tomorrow at 7 a. m. The city says the shutdown will last eight to 10 weeks and is tied to bridge repairs, road work, and rapid transit construction in the same corridor. Emergency vehicles, including police, fire, ambulances, and special Saskatchewan Health Authority vehicles, will still be able to use the bridge.
What drivers need to know
The closure covers University Bridge and College Drive between Clarence Avenue and Hospital Drive, forcing a major shift for people traveling through one of Saskatoon’s busiest routes. City transportation director Jay Magus said the disruption is unavoidable but necessary. “This will undoubtedly cause disruption for people, but these construction projects are necessary to protect our valuable infrastructure and expand our transportation systems, namely transit, ” he said.
Magus said the work is part of three connected projects happening in the same general area over the next several months. Those projects include arch repair under the University Bridge and drive surface refinishing, 25th Street water main lining work beginning the week of May 19 and lasting about four months, and rapid transit-related construction on College Drive. He said the transit work is designed to modernize the system and protect city assets.
Access to hospitals and campus will change
City technical services director Dan Willems said people heading to the University of Saskatchewan, Royal University Hospital, or other businesses along the College Drive corridor will need to change how they travel. Patients, visitors, and staff who normally use University Drive or the west portion of College Drive should approach from the east using the west-bound lanes of College Drive.
Pedestrian access over University Bridge will remain open on the south side of the bridge. That means the closure is aimed at vehicles, while people on foot will still have a route across the structure during the work.
Willems said single-lane traffic will return later in the project as crews shift to the next section. During that phase, one lane in each direction will be maintained using the south half of College Drive while work moves to the north side of the corridor.
ctv news and the timing of the work
The city expects the first stage to be finished by late August, before students return to the University of Saskatchewan campus for the fall semester. After that, work will move to the south side of the corridor, with the new north lanes opened to single-lane traffic in each direction. That final phase is expected to run through September and October.
Willems also said phase 2 of the transit project is planned for summer 2027 between Cumberland Avenue and Preston Avenue South, with more details expected next spring. For now, ctv news is focused on the immediate impact: a long closure, rerouted traffic, and a construction zone that will reshape travel across the area for weeks.
