Regina reopens Dewdney Ave after $32M revitalization project

After two years, the Dewdney Avenue revitalization project is complete. Businesses now hopeful the improvements pay off. Sierra D’Souza Butts reports.

The 2025 construction season has officially ended with the reopening of Dewdney Avenue in Regina.

The $32-million project, which affected Dewdney Avenue from Albert Street to Broad Street, replaced aging underground infrastructure while adding wider sidewalks and street light upgrades. The project intended to make Dewdney Avenue more of a “destination for residents.”

“This project has been one of the most significant infrastructure investments in Regina’s recent history, and it represents a commitment to building a more connected and vibrant community,” Mayor Chad Bachynski told reporters Monday morning.

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

With the street being closed off for the last two construction seasons, businesses have expressed their frustration due to receiving less foot traffic.

“I could do a whole lot of complaining, but there’s no time for complaining. It’s more about giving thanks to the community here for supporting us, helping us get through that, letting us know they care,” shared Mark Heise, CEO and president of Rebellion Brewing.

Now seeing the project come to fruition, Heise said it was worth the wait.

“It’s been a long time in the coming. I was at the funding announcement seven years ago, there’s nothing [here] but good news,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to this for almost a decade now and it’s fantastic. It’s beautiful. There’s cars on the street. We’re open for business.”

Aside from beautifying the street, the city said improving the area’s safety was a top priority as well.

“This is not just a pretty project because it also makes sure that the area is safe,” said Kurtis Doney deputy city manager of city operations.

“We’ve got safe crosswalks, we’ve got our lights flashing here in red and they’re doing that for a reason it’s to train residents to stop at traffic lights where they didn’t have traffic lights in the past. It’s really important that people know how to go down the area safely and to park properly and also to make sure that infrastructure is reliable for the long term.”

A total of $67.5 million was approved for Regina’s Revitalization Initiative which includes upgrading Dewdney Avenue along with developing The Yards Neighbourhood Plan, an area the city says will support its “growing warehouse district.”

In the upcoming city council meeting on Wednesday, city administration will be asking for council’s approval to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) to allow private developers to put their names forward for the development of The Yards project.

“The completion of [Dewdney] will also help support and create new developments across the street in The Yards, which is long overdue,” Bachynski said.

“I’m excited that we’re going to be moving towards putting that out for proposals and see what we’re going to build there in the very near future.”

A total of $244 million was spent on construction projects over the course of the year, which also included the completion of the city’s water network expansion project.

Over the course of the season, the city also improved 27 kilometres (km) of roads and 10.8 km of sidewalks.

A total of 291 City-owned lead service connections were removed, while 5.4 km of water mains were replaced. A further 5.8 km of water mains and 960 metres of large diameter wastewater trunks were relined.