Regina police at scene of serious collision near Lewvan Drive

A serious collision involving a semi truck and SUV occurred at about 1 p.m. Tuesday near the Lewvan Drive and Trans-Canada Highway intersection in south Regina.
Photo: Bryan Schlosser, Leader-Post

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Source: Regina Leader-Post

SASKATCHEWAN - Police are advising drivers to expect to be rerouted around a serious collision that occurred at about 1 p.m. near the Lewvan Drive and Trans-Canada Highway intersection in south Regina.

A semi is reportedly blocking the westbound lanes and RCMP officers are investigating the collision between the semi truck and a large SUV.

Members of the Regina Police Service are also on the scene to help reroute traffic around the crash scene. Westbound traffic is being diverted onto Albert Street at this time.

It's uncertain how long that traffic diversion will continue.

Construction of a new interchange for the Trans-Canada Highway and Lewvan Drive intersection started this year.

During the official sod-turning, Jim Reiter, the province's highways and infrastructure minister, said there were 50 collisions — some fatal — at the intersection since 2000.

In 2006, the Leader-Post quoted provincial government records indicating that — over about 13 years between 1990 and 2003 — there were 73 collisions at, or within 500 metres of, the intersection. Four involved fatalities, 25 caused injuries and 44 resulted in property damage.

The new interchange is expected to address concerns about safety. Construction of the $34-million project is to be staged over three years, and detours are in place during construction. Provincial and federal governments are each contributing about half of the expected cost of the project. The interchange is to be open by late 2011.

The Trans-Canada Highway was constructed in the area in the early 1950s. It initially intersected with the south end of Pasqua Street and was crossed by the Canadian National Railways' Lewvan subdivision line. Several fatal collisions occurred involving the rail line. The highway was twinned in the 1960s. The rail line came out in the early 1980s, and Lewvan Drive was constructed over the rail bed.

In addition to improving safety, the new interchange is expected to allow more efficient travel to and from the nearby Global Transportation Hub and Harbour Landing.

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