HIGHWAYS IMPROVED IN NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN

Several highway improvements are taking place in the Meadow Lake area this construction season to improve transportation infrastructure.

Highway upgrades, bridge work and gravel stockpiling were completed this spring and summer and will continue to take place into the fall and winter.

"The projects taking place in the Meadow Lake area will help to improve safety, tourism and regional economic development," Highways and Transportation Minister Maynard Sonntag said. "These projects also serve to create employment for northern contractors and workers."

Some major projects include:

Highway 4 – initial work on a pedestrian crosswalk has begun at the intersection of Highway 4 and 7th Avenue in Meadow Lake, including paint striping and advance warning signs. Light standards and pedestrian signs should be up by the end of October.

Highway 3 – 15.5 km of grading and surfacing was completed between Glaslyn and Fairholme at a cost of $3.7 million. Construction began in 2003 and was carried over to 2004. This project is part of a multi-year plan to upgrade Highway 3 between Glaslyn and Turtleford from a thin membrane surface to a paved standard. Work on Highway 3 is cost-shared with the federal government through the Prairie Grain Roads Program (PGRP), designed to improve highways heavily used for hauling grains and other commodities.

Highway 4 – the bridge over the Waterhen River will be refitted with new piers at a cost of $350,000. Construction will take place in the winter.

Highways 4 and 903 – 50 km of seal coating was completed north of Boire Lake and north of Glaslyn at a cost of $601,000. This process involves the application of hot liquid asphalt and packed gravel to reduce deterioration and prolong the life of the pavement.

Highway 21 – a clay cap will be placed on a 7.3 km section of Highway 21 from 8 km south of the junction of Highways 21 and 55. The estimated cost of the project is $183,000. Work is anticipated to be complete by late October.

Highway 55 - 3.7 km of resurfacing was completed immediately north of the junction with Main Street in Big River. In addition, an intersection treatment and truck pull-off were constructed and paved as part of this resurfacing project. This project is valued at $1.1 million.

Highway 55 – a vehicle inspection station for large trucks and semis was paved 3 km east of the Junction with Highway 903. A weigh scale and related equipment will be installed in 2005, for a total cost of $460,000.

Highway 224, Meadow Lake and Makwa Provincial Parks – road improvements were completed on the internal roads at Makwa Lake and Meadow Lake provincial parks this construction season, and plans are in place to realign 2.2 km of Highway 224 in the vicinity of Rusty Creek. The Rusty Creek Bridge will also be replaced this winter. The combined cost of these projects is $785,000.

North of Meadow Lake

Highway 917 (Charbonneau Lake Road) – grading is taking place on 18 km from 4 km south of Smoothstone Lodge to 5 km north of East Bay at a cost of $1.7 million. This project will be completed in the 2005 construction season.

Highway 924 – a bridge replacement is taking place over Appleby Creek located approximately 1 km north of the access road into Sled Lake. Construction on this $200,000 project should be underway the last week in November.

Highway 925 – 10 km of grading (base stabilization) was recently completed on sections from the Junction of Highway 155 to Dillon. This project took place in partnership with the Buffalo River Dene Nation as part of a multi-year commitment to upgrade the highway.

Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation will invest a total of $31 million this year to operate, preserve and improve the transportation system in northern Saskatchewan.

Motorists are reminded to slow to 60 km/h in the construction Orange Zone and to watch for workers and heavy equipment.

For more information about road construction projects, and other Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation activities, visit the web site at: www.highways.gov.sk.ca.

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For More Information, Contact:

Kirsten Leatherdale Highways and Transportation Regina Phone: (306) 787-8484