Highway infrastructure is a concern for both the provincial government, and the official opposition, as the effects of moisture on primary and secondary roads are starting to be reported.
Highway infrastructure is a concern for both the provincial government, and the official opposition, as the effects of moisture on primary and secondary roads are starting to be reported.
"In general, there might be a few highway projects that will be impacted in relation to moisture issues," said Dustin Duncan, MLA for Weyburn-Big Muddy. "The provincial government will be looking at those regular scheduled projects, and plan to maintain those roads affected by flooding issues."
However, according to Dwain Lingenfelter, leader of the New Democrat Party opposition, the Sask. Party government "has not fulfilled its promise to improve the safety of the province's highways and has ignored concerns about dangerously unsafe stretches of road."
A key concern in the Weyburn region is the goal to twin Highways 6 and 39 from Regina to the U.S. border. "Right now the focus of the provincial government is to finish twinning the project between Saskatoon and Prince Albert," said Duncan. "We have expedited that project, so it should be completed by 2012, and then we will identify the next major twinning project."
As much as Duncan wants Highways 6 and 39 to be twinned, it is not the only candidate. "We are committed to partial twinning, or considering passing lanes for those highways to improve the safety."
"The Brad Wall government is ignoring the safety of families in this area who are forced to share a single lane highway with large industrial traffic," said Lingenfelter. "It surprises me that this project hasn't started, especially with a growing economy in the Weyburn and Estevan area, which has seen a massive increase in traffic."
Duncan said that the Sask. Party has exceeded their campaign promise of improving highway infrastructure in the last four years, by exceeding $2.4 billion. He noted one accomplishment that has been completed was the turning lanes at McTaggart.
Future projects that will be completed in the area include "addressing Highway 35 south of Oungre, which has been in bad shape for a number of years, and maintaining Highway 13 between Stoughton and Griffin, which is an important highway for the oil patch," said Duncan.
"The real question is what has the Sask. Party government really accomplished, as there has been a deficit in construction in the last four years?" said Lingenfelter. "With higher gas prices, we should have the provincial taxes from those prices to build and construct more highways."
As the summer season approaches, drivers are reminded to watch for orange zones, and slow down when driving through highway construction.
