The consultants presented three options for a West Connector Route- they proposed linking the Circle Drive South Bridge traffic to Highway 7 either at 22nd Street (won’t work because the trucks likely can’t negotiate the tight turns at 22nd and Circle), 11th Street (which would really impact the quality of life of Montgomery residents due to the excessive noise and traffic) or Valley Road (my preferred option since no residences would be affected, especially if they moved quickly and purchased the necessary land now. The West Connector Route is apparently not going to be built for 20 or 30 years, but I urged them to reconsider and build a Valley Road extension to link up with Highway 7 somewhere near the Pike Lake road as soon as possible.
If you want to give them feedback, even though you were not able to attend the meeting, you can send it to Fast Consulting. The email address is d.fast@fastconsulting.ca and the phone number is 306-956-3070.
For more information you can check out www.highways.gov.sk.ca/saskatoon_west-connector The option that routes the traffic along the existing Highway 7 and links up to Valley Road at Hodgson Road (my preferred option) is Option S3.
Pat Lorje
Councillor
Ward Two
306-227-1411
Also see the CBC News interview with MPCA President Barb Biddle.