By TERRY PUGH
The final public information session for Phase 3 of the functional planning study for the Saskatoon Freeway opens this month.
According to the Saskatoon Freeway Project website the third and final phase of the functional planning study is slated to wrap up later this year.
A virtual open house can be viewed on the Saskatoon Freeway Project website (saskatoonfreeway.org), and an in-person event is slated for the Saskatoon Inn on Thursday, June 25 from 4 to 8 p.m. At both events, visitors have the opportunity to ask questions of project experts and share feedback.
Saskatoon Freeway Project officials say that once Phase 3 of the Saskatoon Freeway Functional Study is complete, residents and businesses along the freeway corridor will “have a better understanding of where and how they may be impacted.”
The Saskatoon Freeway website states the planned four-lane, 55 kilometer freeway is aimed at improving safety and alleviating traffic congestion from busy sections of the city by diverting larger commercial vehicles around the city.
The proposed route does not have a southwestern component because, according to the Saskatoon Freeway website, “traffic studies indicate a southwestern leg of the freeway would not be well-used by truck or commuter traffic. the additional construction costs cannot be justified.”
The website adds that the timeline for construction is at least 10 to 15 years away. No estimates of the cost of the project have been undertaken to date.
Phase 3 focuses on the west section of the future roadway, which would include interchanges at Beam Road, Claypool Drive, Highway 14 and Highway 7. It would also include overpasses for the CNR and CPR railway lines.
Planning for the Saskatoon Freeway, under the direction of the provincial Ministry of Highways, has been underway for the two decades.
The general location was determined in 2005, and a general location study was completed in 2018. This is being followed up by a more detailed functional planning study, which finalizes the concept design, including interchange designs and service roads.
Phase 1 of the functional planning study began in 2019 and was completed in February, 2020. Phase 2 of the functional planning study was completed in 2022. Public consultations on Phase 3 were completed in December, 2025.
The projected freeway route impacts many landowners in the RM of Corman Park because the study area entails a 500 meter wide corridor along its entire length. Once the functional planning study is completed, that corridor is expected to shrink by 75%, and restrictions on development will be limited to a much smaller area of land, according to the Saskatoon Freeway Project website.
In the past, members of Corman Park council have expressed concern over the length of time the study is taking.