Imagine Idylwyld: What to expect from Saskatoon's plan to revamp key street

The City of Saskatoon has been working on a plan to freshen upIdywyldDrive for years, and now the proposalis ready for city council consideration.

The initiative brings together ideas for planning, transportationand design that will be implemented alongIdylwyldbetween20thand25thStreet East an often congested, slow-moving area of the street.

Gateway to Saskatoon's neighbourhoods

The proposed Imagine Idylwyldrevamp covers the area of the street linking Riversdale, downtownand the Idylwyldbusiness district.

The street still has "remnants as a highway," said Jay Magus, the city's acting director of transportation.

The goal is to beautify Idylwyld and bring it up to date with the growing city.

Stakeholders who attended public consultation meetings showed a preference for foliage and landscaping.

There is also opportunity for public art installations along the drive, though no concepts have yet been tabled.

Addressing 'pinch-points'

"We have a few pinch-points on Idylwyld," said Magus.

"We have a left turn lane, and a shared left turn and through lane."

The proposed plan will get rid of the extra lanes, and allow for drivers to perform left-hand turns concurrently.

22nd Street is a busy pedestrian crossing and is, at times, unsafe in its current design.

"There's these littleporkchopsand it's like you're playingFrogger," said Magus, referring to the islands beyond the right-hand turn lanes.

"You do a leapfrog to thepork chopisland and scurry across the street."

The pavement will be narrowed in those sections, and the right-hand turn lanes will be removed from behind the street light, so pedestrians won't have to leapfrog.

Bike paths, not bike lanes

The Imagine Idylwyldproject will work alongside the city's Bus Rapid Transit plan and its downtown cycling network.

The bike paths proposed in the plan will differ from the lanes downtown.

"That's a retro-fit situation where we popped white posts on asphalt," said Magus.

The bike path will be raised, off the curband away from traffic. It will be distinguished from the sidewalk.

A similar cycling path is half-built on Victoria Avenue.

The proposed plan will be on display to residents March 7 at the Western Development Museum from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. CST. City administrators will also be presenting ideas for the Bus Rapid Transit system, and Saskatoon'sdowntown cycling network.