A project that has consumed the Town of Battleford for years is now officially open - lights and all.
Municipal, provincial, and other officials stood before the recently installed traffic lights at the 29th Street intersection Thursday to officially open the twinned Highway 4 through Battleford.
It was the culmination of years of work and planning. Mayor Chris Odishaw acknowledged that the effort to get the project off the ground had consumed everyone at Town Hall for a number of years, long before last year's ground breaking ceremony.
Over a year earlier, Odishaw and Highways Minister Jim Reiter braved a swarm of mosquitoes as they turned the sod at that same intersection to launch the project.
It seemed appropriate that the completion ceremonies came on a balmy day with no mosquitoes in sight, as Odishaw cut the ribbon.
"It's a long time coming for the community," Odishaw told reporters.
"The sun's shining brightly today - the future looks bright for the town of Battleford."
It was noted the completed road will provide motorists more safety within the community. The intersections at 22nd, 29th and 35th Streets were notorious high-collision locations as a single-lane road. A lack of lighting en route to the Battlefords bridge made it difficult to see the road there as well.
"The concern of Highway 4 had been safety for the current residents of Battleford," said Odishaw.
The twinned road addressed those needs and also provided certainty to developers looking to set up businesses along the highway in the proposed Gasoline Alley.
A longstanding issue has been "what kind of growth could happen on the west side," said Odishaw. There had been no development along that 3.5 kilometre stretch of road because of the uncertainty about the road, he noted.
Completion of the twinning clears the way for that business development.
"Businesses need certainty and need traffic, and they want to build along main corridors," said Odishaw.
Already Odishaw is touting the pending arrival of Kramer Caterpillar, who are already doing highway work, as well as the development of a commercial road that would lead to potential businesses in Gasoline Alley, such as a possible Tim Hortons, a hotel and other services.
The highway itself handles up to 7,100 vehicles per day - a welcome amount of vehicles for businesses looking to set up.
"We can offer business a main corridor in our community," Odishaw said.
During the several months between the initial sod turning and last week's ribbon-cutting, Battleford residents watched as the stretch of Highway 4 that runs between the town of Battleford and the Battleford West subdivision transformed from a single lane to a twinned roadway.
Contractor G and C Asphalt of the Battlefords commenced the construction which lasted through much of last year and into this year.
There were some hiccups along the way as several potholes showed up on the new road last winter. That was one issue contractors had to address as the paving proceeded.
The extensive work involved the associated drainage system and relocation of utilities, and improvements to the intersections of 22nd, 29th and 35th Street.
Work also went ahead to install new lights along the twinned road, as well as traffic lights at the completed 29th Street and 22nd Street intersections to replace the stop signs at those locations.
Residents put up with traffic delays and several detours during the construction period. Odishaw thanked local residents for their patience during that time.
He described it as the "pains of growth," and compared it to getting a needle from the doctor. "It hurts for a second but there's long term gain."
The successful activation of the traffic lights in mid-August was the last significant milestone for the project before the ribbon cutting last week.
The project was made possible by a major infusion of funding by the province through the Urban Connectors Program. The province provided 75 per cent of the funding while the town provided 25 per cent.
The cost of the project came in at $11.6 million - important to Odishaw as the initial budget called for $12.5 million.
The project came in "on time and under budget," Odishaw said.
Representing the Saskatchewan government at the ribbon cutting was Battlefords MLA Herb Cox and Cut Knife-Turtleford MLA Larry Doke.
Cox noted the positive feedback he has received about the completed project.
"It's been a wonderful addition to the highway system into Battleford, and people who use it every day have been expressing to me what a great system we have going through our town now," said Cox.
Doke sees benefits for his nearby riding as well, with the oil production and the inland terminals there. He believes the twinned Highway 4 will be a big asset for those heavy vehicles that head out to facilities.
"This corridor is extremely important," he said, "The trucking traffic through here is unbelievable."
Also at the ceremonies was Mayor Ian Hamilton of North Battleford, who welcomed the prospect of increased business and population to the area.
"We are very much in partnership in a lot of our future growth and development," said Hamilton, adding that the enhancements from the twinned Highway 4 will provide a positive first impression to those visiting the Battlefords.
