PROVINCE FULFILLS COMMITMENT TO FIX ROADS

The provincial government's investment of $296.2 million in highway improvements fulfills a three-year, $900 million commitment to renew the transportation infrastructure in Saskatchewan.

"Saskatchewan is positioned to be among North America's leaders in economic growth in the coming year," Highways and Transportation Minister Mark Wartman said. "It is imperative that we have a transportation infrastructure that enables us to capitalize on our opportunities and build a better future."

Wartman noted that this year's transportation investment will stimulate more than 1,000 full-time equivalent positions in the road building and heavy construction industry.

Significant projects undertaken to support Saskatchewan's vital economic trade corridors will include:

- accelerating the twinning of the national highway system in Saskatchewan. The Trans-Canada West will be completely twinned from Regina to the Alberta border and will be opened to traffic this year, five years ahead of the original timeline. The Trans-Canada East from Regina to the Manitoba border will be fully twinned by 2007 – five years ahead of schedule. Highway 16 from North Battleford to Lloydminster will also be fully twinned by 2007 – three years ahead of schedule;

- investing more than $90 million over three years to finish upgrading 450 km of rural highways in strategic rural corridors to support movement of commodities in the agriculture, oil and gas industries (in the southeast, these include sections of Highway 8 and 48; in the southwest, these include sections of Highway 13 and 37; in the northwest, these include sections of Highway 3 and 26; in west central, these include sections of Highway 21, 31, 40 and 45);

- finishing 30 km of Highway 6 between the US border and Regina over two years, creating a paved standard link that supports increased truck haul along this vital north-south trade corridor; and

- continuing to rebuild sections of northern highways over the next three years to support increased truck haul in the forestry industry (these include sections of Highway 155 south of Beauval and Highway 55 northwest of Meadow Lake).

In addition to the multi-year project work, Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation will, in 2003-04:

- improve more than 750 km of provincial highways, including 385 km of resurfacing;

- upgrade 245 km of Thin Membrane Surface (TMS) highways to a paved standard in key commercial corridors, including more than 150 km in rural Saskatchewan though the Prairie Grain Roads Program, and 60 km of highways impacted by increased haul in the forestry industry in northern Saskatchewan; and

- invest more than $31 million to preserve, operate and maintain northern highways, roads, bridges and airports, with almost $10 million of that total used for major northern highway improvements.

"With exports accounting for nearly two-thirds of the province's gross domestic product, Saskatchewan needs a modern and competitive transportation infrastructure to get our products to market," Wartman said.

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For More Information, Contact:

Doug Wakabayashi Highways and Transportation Regina Phone: (306)787-4805