Regina Saskatchewan - The city is asking council to approve the start of a public procurement process, which would look for an engineering service to consult and produce preliminary designs for the relocation.
 
"This work will examine the opportunities and challenges of the recommended relocation solution, provide a refined and updated cost estimate in order for Council to make a decision on whether to proceed to detailed design and construction," says a report on Wednesday's city council agenda.
 
"Completing a preliminary design does not commit the City or railway companies to proceed with a detailed design and construction of the relocation solution," the document goes on to say, noting that both CN and CP will also need to accept any relocation plans.
 
The recommendation is the next step in the city's attempts to address traffic delays and commuter frustration due to trains crossing Ring Road.
 
A feasibility study commissioned in 2018 first looked at the possibility of building an overpass where the CP and CN railways intersect with Ring Road.
 
The study also gave an estimated overall cost for the project of $107 million.
 
The study's report came back to council in 2019, stating the best and most cost effective way of easing drivers' frustrations would be to relocate the tracks instead of constructing an overpass.
 
City council voiced their approval for the idea at the time.
 
Several months later, council approved $2 million over two years to work on a preliminary design for the railroad's relocation, a project that was delayed because of the pandemic.
 
Now the project may once again have the chance to move ahead if councillors give it a green light on Wednesday afternoon.
 
CN and CP are the project's only key stakeholders, according to administrations report, but the preliminary design process will also include engagement with other stakeholders, such as landowners in the nearby area.
 
"Engagement with broader impacted stakeholders may uncover additional aspects during the preliminary design that may need to be addressed to develop a viable relocation solution," the report said.
 
Author unknown.