The City of North Battleford will continue to push for provincial project funding to improve safety at several highway intersections.
Don McMorris, minister of highways and infrastructure, visited North Battleford late last year at which time City officials pointed out transportation issues that hadn't yet been addressed under the Urban Highway Connector Program agreement with the City.
A letter from McMorris received by city councillors Monday indicated the ministry is unable to meet all requests in the current budget, but that they would consider the projects in the appropriate order of priority in the 2014-15 UHCP budgeting process.
With only $8 million available for capital UHCP projects across the province this year, North Battleford councillors don't expect to see much, if any, of it.
Mayor Ian Hamilton said the City's requests for project funding obviously aren't of high enough priority on the provincial list, but they are "very, very important to us."
The projects the City awaits funding for include reworking the Highway 16 Bypass / Battleford Road intersection and service road.
Councillor Greg Lightfoot pointed out some of the locations in question are unsafe as admitted by the ministry. Who, he wondered, is liable if something happens?
City Manager Jim Puffalt said generally highways and intersections are under the control of the City, so the City would be named if something did occur.
"I don't believe the urban connector program takes any liability away from the City regardless of the condition but any good lawyer would be able to look at the urban connection program and say it hasn't been funded appropriately and the City cannot be held totally responsible in those circumstances."
Puffalt said the City has to continue to work with the Province on the issue.
"They have not funded the program to any great degree since the inception and North Battleford is not the exception," said Puffalt. "Every other city in Saskatchewan has a number of projects that are outstanding and waiting to get done."
The issue was addressed at the recent convention of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, he said, and it could also be addressed at the upcoming meeting of the Saskatchewan City Mayors' Caucus in May.
The Urban Highway Connector Program was initiated in the province's 2008-09 fiscal year to help keep traffic flowing, particularly as it relates to links to national and international transportation corridors.
"Producers and shippers cannot afford delays in urban areas caused by transportation bottlenecks," states the provincial government's information on the program.
The Urban Highway Connector policy provides a framework for funding urban highway connectors based on the provincial interest and is built on the guiding principles of equitable treatment of all urban municipalities, a transparent and consistent policy framework, reduced traffic congestion in and around urban centres, enhanced traffic safety in urban areas, improved corridor continuity and level of service on urban connectors, enhanced planning to meet future transportation demand and targeted resources to maximize benefits for the provincial economy.
Requests for capital funding are approved according to program criteria and available funding.
