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A persistent problem with close calls for road construction crews has prompted the city to lower the speed limit in some work zones to 30 kilometres per hour.

Angela Gardiner, the City of Saskatoon’s general manager of environment and utilities, said the city will begin using temporary signs that drop the speed limit to 30 km/h this month.

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Gardiner said the temporary work zones will be used almost exclusively on roads where the regular speed limit is 50 km/h, although some spots with a speed limit of 60 km/h might be included.

“That is new for this year,” Gardiner said in an interview on Wednesday. “When people think of traditional work zones, they think of those higher speed roads.”

The temporary work zone speed limit will generally only be used for short-term projects like patching a pothole when workers are present, Gardiner said.

The new work zones will not be used in every instance of road work, she noted.