The City of Moose Jaw and CN Railway will work to repair the railway crossing at Main Street North and Town And Country Drive beginning next week.

Mayor Fraser Tolmie felt it was a good step forward as there have been barricades blocking two southbound Main Street lanes due to the railway crossing being unpassable.

"I think this area has been a problem area in the community for the longest time and bandaid solutions have not fixed this. To be able to partner with CN, for them to take part in the responsibility which they should and to actually get this fix and hopefully properly I think is a good move forward.

Main Street North will be closed to traffic from Thatcher Drive to Town And Country Drive starting July 5 and the construction is expected to take 10 days.

Councillors Chris Warren and Dawn Luhning did express their concerns about closing one of Moose Jaw's busiest intersection for 10 days and asked administration to consider using two-way traffic to allow traffic to flow through the area.

Traffic is expected to be detoured to Ninth Avenue Northwest and Ninth Avenue Northeast.

Luhning also voiced some concerns about communication.

"Communications plans for this have to be very detailed and very stringent for everybody because I would bet everybody in this city uses that roadway at least once a day," Luhning said.

Coun. Brian Swanson suggested that the city reach out to Canadian Tire since traffic will likely be turning into their parking lot to avoid the construction. Director of Public Works and Utilities, Darrin Stephanson said they would reach out to Canadian Tire to make sure there is a safe way for traffic to move through the parking lot.

Administration noted two main concerns with the intersection, the rough railway crossing and the road condition due to drainage.

The railway crossing will be resolved by replacing the existing rubberized block at the tracks with cement panels that can hold up to the traffic demand. The construction crews will also address concrete deficiencies on the centre median at the CN signal.

For drainage, the city will be grading the eastern ditch to improve storm retention and run-off including repairs to outfalls. Administration said this will not resolve the orange snow fencing in the ditch. That is scheduled to be fixed with the east feeder line project in August and September.

Three catch basins will be repaired in the area with the installation of two flat surface storm drainage grates on the north and southbound driving lanes. A high capacity catch basin will also be added at the intersection. Paving work will also be completed for the northbound lanes from Town And Country Drive to 16 metres north of the railway crossing.

The construction is expected to cost the city $120,000, with $50,000 being funded through the capital pavement budget and $70,000 from the operating accounts.