Traffic reopens to 11th Avenue following summer of construction

Traffic is now moving along Regina’s 11th Avenue following a long summer of construction. The reopening means that Regina Transit services will once again be accessible in front of the Cornwall Centre.

“The planned work for 2023 was to complete some underground utility work with our utility partners at SaskPower and SaskTel and that work is completed,” Chris Warren, director of roadways for the city told CTV News.

A main transit route through the heart of Regina’s downtown – buses will soon return to 11th Avenue after being re-routed down Lorne Street.

“Transit is expected to move back in the coming weeks,” Warren explained. “As part of that move back to 11th Avenue from Lorne and Victoria Avenue, we wanted to ensure both the construction had been wrapped up and that we had reinstated the road and sidewalk to ensure that they are safe and accessible.”

Construction on the 11th Avenue corridor will again pick up in the spring and continue for three more years.

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The downtown bus routes will change with the seasons until work is done.

Some residents find that confusing.

“They don’t know where to catch the bus anymore and sometimes people miss the bus and sometimes people are late for work,” downtown visitor Justin Toto told CTV News.

“I would hope they leave it here and not change it again because not a lot of people understand how the system works,” Laura Gunn, another visitor in the downtown area, explained.

“So it’s hard for them to follow so I hope they keep it the same at least until they have some consistency.”

The extent of work on 11th Avenue may have to be re-evaluated after next summer’s construction bids came in over budget.

Any changes to the design are not expected to impact the project's 2026 completion date.