In a new policy for towns of over 1,000, the Ministry of Highways will be taking back jurisdiction over Highways No. 4 and 16 where they pass through Battleford town limits.
The town had voluntarily signed on to an Urban Highway Connectors Program created in 2008 in order to expedite the twinning of Highway 4 through the town, a project that was integral to developing residential, retail and commercial areas west of the highway.
Battleford was one of eight towns in the province to have signed on to the program and all but one of the province's cities signed on.
Town council members were informed of the change of jurisdiction at their June 17 meeting. It turns out that a review of the results of the program, along with a recommendation by the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Program, suggests the program should be applied to cities only.
The information received said the operation and management of the urban highway connectors in the towns that signed on was not always consistent and in some cases it caused confusion as to who is or should be responsible for what.
The cost of twinning Highway No. 4 through Battleford came in at $11.6 million, of which the Town's share was 25 per cent. The change of policy, however, doesn't mean Battleford gets any money back.
