Regina Saskatchewan - Regina city councillors voted Wednesday in favour of removing CP and CN rail tracks from a busy section of Ring Road at an estimated cost of $107 million.
 
City council still needs to approve the project's preliminary design later this year during 2020 budget talks.
 
Tuesday's meeting of council's executive committee set out an eight-year timeline for the project, with construction work eyed to begin in early 2020.
 
The project would relocate Ring Road tracks between Winnipeg Street and McDonald Street.
 
The city believes removing the tracks would result in fewer accidents and improve traffic flow.
 
While both CP and CN were consulted by the external company tasked with completing the city's feasibility study, letters of support from the rail companies are still needed.
 
The rail consultant company, HDR Corporation, concluded that grade separations, as opposed to rail relocation, would take longer.
 
The cost of the relocation project, which is hardly cast in iron, is expected to be shared with the provincial and federal governments.
 
The project would need to be weighed against other competing financial priorities, the city said.
 
Guy Quenneville.