Saskatoon - Transportation

Transportation

Saskatoon is located on the Yellowhead Highway spur of the Trans-Canada Highway system, also known as Highway 16, which connects Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and British Columbia. Highways 5, 7, 11, 12, 14, 41, 219, 684, and 762 all meet at Saskatoon, with highway 60 terminating just west of the city limits.

The following bridges cross the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon (in order from upstream):

Grand Trunk Bridge (rail)
Circle Drive South Bridge (Under Construction)
Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge
Traffic Bridge (closed indefinitely as of August 24, 2010)
Broadway Bridge
University Bridge
CPR Bridge (rail)
Circle Drive Bridge

Construction of Saskatoon's ring road, Circle Drive, began in the mid-1960s, and is yet to be completed as of mid-2010. Its remaining missing link is in the southwest; on June 20, 2008, the mayor announced that funding for the $300 million project from the federal, provincial and city governments is now in place to build the Circle Drive South Bridge, a six-lane bridge and 7 km of freeway to complete the south portion of the road. Construction of the project, which will include a new river crossing and several interchanges, commenced in 2010 and is expected to be completed in 2012.

The Canadian Pacific Railway and the Canadian National Railway have connections to Saskatoon. Both railways operate intermodal facilities and trans-load centers; while Canadian National Railway also operates an automotive transfer facility. Saskatoon is a stop on The Canadian passenger transcontinental rail route operated by Via Rail. The Saskatoon railway station is located in the west end of the city; it was opened in the late 1960s as a replacement for Saskatoon's original main station which was located on 1st Avenue downtown—the relocation of the station sparked a major redevelopment of the downtown that included the construction of the Midtown Plaza, TCU Place (aka Centennial Auditorium) and other developments. The many provincial transportation connections and geographic location of Saskatoon give it one of its nicknames The Hub City. The Saskatchewan Railway Museum is located just outside the city. Recent debates about moving all the railways out of the city are raising questions about a future LRT system, but the city's Mayor says the population is too small.

Saskatoon/John G. Diefenbaker International Airport provides scheduled and charter airline service for the city, and is a significant hub for mining and remote locations in Northern Saskatchewan. Non-stop scheduled destinations include Calgary, Chicago, Denver, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Ottawa, Prince Albert, Regina, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. Seasonal and Charter service is provided to Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Churchill, MB. Air Canada, Westjet and Purolator Courier all have cargo facilities at the airport. Saskatoon/Corman Air Park is a general aviation airport located 15 km south-east of Saskatoon.

Transit services in Saskatoon are provided by Saskatoon Transit. The route system was revamped on July 2, 2006, creating increased access to most parts of the city. An up to date schedule is posted at Saskatoon Transit Route & Schedule Adjustments

The Saskatchewan Transportation Company connects Saskatoon via bus service to nearly 200 towns and villages in the province. The Saskatoon bus terminal is also served by Greyhound Canada inter-provincial service between Manitoba and Alberta.