CES Awards
Trialpha Consulting Limited
Award of Merit
Award Category: Infrastructure
22nd Street and Circle Drive Interchange Study
Most interchanges involve the meeting of two roads with four roadway "spokes" leading to one location. They are generally based on standard designs that can be referenced from geometric design manuals. However, what happens when you try to combine three roadways with six "spokes" all within a confined area? Simply, there are no standard designs for this type of interchange.
This unique problem confronted the City of Saskatoon. An interchange was required to address traffic where a main east-west arterial roadway known as 22nd Street crosses two closely spaced north-south roadways known as Confederation Drive and Circle Drive. To further compound the problem, a railway corridor on one side and commercial retail development on the other confined the space available to construct an interchange.
Interchange solutions had been discussed as far back as the 1960s for this location but no solution was found that satisfied the City, area businesses and residents in the adjacent neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, traffic delays and the number of collisions continued to grow. That is the history that led to the commissioning of this study almost 40 years later and the subsequent development of over 50 interchange alternatives to try and resolve the issue.
The Judges' Comments
"What can one say about a project that is finally proceeding after the development of over 50 interchange alternatives over a 40 year period. It was the interchange design of Trialpha Consulting that finally obtained approval and, although there were some changes from the original plans, is nearing completion. This project faces several issues and constraints, caused in large part by the long-term delay. It also faced such technical issues as limited space and the number of "spokes" entering the interchange. Perhaps the biggest obstacle was the diverse interests of a number of stakeholders, including commercial enterprises, the City of Saskatoon, the Department of Highways, the railroad, local residents, urban and rural commuters."
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