TRANSPORTATION FOR ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE INVESTMENT IN HIGHWAY 368 CORRIDOR

The provincial government has entered into an $8 million partnership with local governments and industry to upgrade the Highway 368 Corridor through Transportation for Economic Advantage, the province's 10-year, $5 billion transportation strategy.

"Through this partnership the people of Lake Lenore and St. Brieux will have paved access to their communities, which will help support the industries that are important to the local economy," Highways and Transportation Minister Buckley Belanger said. "At its core, this is what Transportation for Economic Advantage is all about."

Under the terms of the partnership, Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation will finance the $8 million cost of the project, with the partners providing about $300,000 in materials and services. Members of the partnership include the Village of Lake Lenore; the Town of St. Brieux; the Rural Municipalities of St. Peter, Humboldt, Lake Lenore and Three Lakes; Bourgault Industries and the Lake Lenore Agro-Coop. The partnership came about following a study and proposal prepared by community representatives that examined the costs of reconstructing Highway 368 to various standards, and the direct economic benefits per year to the local economy.

"The Highway 368 Working Group has worked closely with Department of Highways and Transportation Officials to identify and assess options and develop a strategy for upgrading this corridor," Belanger said. "I want to extend my thanks for their leadership in making this investment a reality."

Through the partnership, Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation will upgraded and pave the existing thin membrane surface (TMS) from Lake Lenore, south. The section from Lake Lenore to 6.2 km south of St. Brieux will be reconstructed to a provincial highway gravel standard. When combined with investments already made in the Highway 368 Corridor, the partnership will result in paved access to Lake Lenore and St. Brieux and a 9-month primary weight truck haul route along the entire route. Pre-construction work will begin immediately with on-road construction scheduled to begin in the spring of 2008. The project will take 3 years to complete.

For information about Transportation for Economic Advantage and Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation's 2007-08 construction program visit www.highways.gov.sk.ca.

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For more information, contact:

Doug Wakabayaski
Highways and Transportation
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4804
Email: dwakabayashi@highways.gov.sk.ca