There was a flicker of light spotted at the end of the long tunnel but proponents of a twinned highway plan are hoping the light isn't just coming from a flame on a match stick that will only burn out.
Two members of the southeast Time to Twin Highway 39 and 6 (south) committee said they were very pleased to hear from the Ministry of Highways that a short stretch of Highway 39 from the Bienfait turnoff to Estevan city limits is now on the radar screen with plans to actually begin work on the project within the next two years.
But Abbie Velestuk is viewing the announcement with a healthy dose of skepticism. She's afraid that officials will consider the twinning of that small 8 to 10 kilometre strip as a job completed and put the rest of the twinning of the 192 kilometre project on the back burner, having met the most obvious need.
Marge Young, another committee member, added that she has newspaper clippings from 2008 where the then Highways Minister Wayne Elhard was suggesting there was a need to twin the highway between North Portal and Regina within the next few years.
"Maybe that's the reason he's no longer the highways minister," she said with a chuckle, suggesting that Elhard had the vision and understood the situation too well, so was maybe removed from that portfolio for that reason.
The two women were also cheered up by a recent statement coming from Randy Prokopchik, district manager for the Saskatchewan Highway Transport Patrol who indicated that the local weigh scales and Highways and Infrastructure office in Estevan, currently abandoned, might be staffed again in the near future.
"We are in the process of staffing decisions right now and we've just recently welcomed a graduating class of five highway transport officers," Prokopchik said.
"It should be positive for Estevan, but I can't confirm anything yet. We'll know more about the staffing situations a little later on."
He said around August they'll know how many are available and where they will be assigned.
"I do know we are short-staffed throughout the south and central area of the province and yes, housing in the Estevan area may be a factor because if we place people there we want to keep them there for awhile."
Any assigned traffic officer to the southeast region will be there as a full-time employee to cover commercial vehicle traffic.
"With the oil boom there and in the northern part of the province, we're aware of the need. The U.S. truckers who enter Canada near Estevan are pretty aware of the rules here and their weight and size restrictions are smaller than ours, so there is generally no big problem in that regard," he said.
Highway traffic officers are generally charged with the duties of checking commercial trucking weights and dimensions plus checking on documentation and permits. They conduct cargo inspections and enforce safety regulations especially with regards to dangerous goods and examine the validity of drivers' licenses and vehicle registrations.
The Time to Twin duo said they were happy to hear there might be a possibility of the weigh scale station being staffed once again since any enforcement of rules regarding commercial traffic flow should be welcomed. They also hope the RCMP's previous announcement regarding the stepping up of services along that stretch of highway would be followed up soon since police presence on the highway, especially between Estevan and Weyburn would be a positive move.
"As for the twinning between Bienfait turnoff and Estevan, I'll believe it when I see it," said Velestuk. "They're talking about two years for planning and I suspect the other twinning announcements made the same day, will probably take precedent and be done before our little strip will be done, but looking on the positive side, at least someone in highways has acknowledged something, so I'll take that as a small step in the right direction."
Velestuk went on to say that if Highway 39 and 6 south were twinned, the volume on the route would increase, taking pressure off Highway 47 and Highway 33 which is also used frequently for local drivers needing to get to Regina. That would extend the life of those two highways since they would be used less frequently by commercial vehicles.
"We see the effects of that type of traffic on Highway 9 and 18 in the southeast here too. They are very busy and it's all related to the oilpatch movements and now with the construction that's just started at the Northgate commodities hub it's even busier. I've been driving that route since I was a kid, and it's very busy now," said Young.
That fact there is $12 billion worth of commodities and business passing through the international border port at North Portal and the expectation of hundreds of millions of business soon to be flowing through the new rail transportation hub at Northgate, begs the question as to how local highways, in their current condition and size, will be able to accommodate the growing demands, the two women said.
"But our concern always has been safety, so if we get a Highway Transport Officer and a few more RCMP officers patrolling the region, that's something moving in the right direction," said Young.
"Just their presence makes a difference," Velestuk added. "It'll slow down the stupid drivers."
"Yes, we have to get rid of those 'get out of my way' drivers we seem to see in increasing numbers around here," said Young.
The Time to Twin committee is continuing with their online petition. It currently has 884 signatures (check on timetotwin@gmail.com and get information as to how to link up to the petition).
"Wouldn't it be nice if this highway got recognized for what it is with the 2014 federal infrastructure funding about to be announced soon. That might be another one of our best hopes. We have our MP (Ed Komarnicki) working on that file too," said Young.
"This won't be the end of it, because we won't let it be the end of it. Even if these politicians want us to just go away we can't," said Young "The numbers show we're in the right ballpark and if we can get the ministry to start comparing apples to apples when they talk about numbers, and quit massaging facts, we might get somewhere. We know we're not out to lunch on how we use our numbers and how we compare facts."
The two women said they feel the 80 kilometres between Estevan and Weyburn was the next vital stretch of the highway to come under scrutiny after the Bienfait to Estevan route is twinned.
"We might have said Highway 6 south of Regina at least to Rowatt or maybe to Corinne would be the next best because of volume, but really, the intensity plus volume of heavy truck traffic between Estevan and Weyburn makes us think that should be the next stretch to get done, especially since the condition of the highway between Estevan and Midale is already terrible, it would be our choice. The big rigs are moving around here, not in Regina," said Velestuk.
When asked if they have been in personal contact with drivers in recent months, Young said they have. It might not be that vital, but it was an awareness factor nevertheless.
"We talked with a couple of parents of kids living in Regina who are now traveling to Minot because their kids are enrolled at the university there and they say they're not very happy about having to travel that highway. They're just learning about how bad it is. Yes, we're still getting the comments and encouragement," said Young in conclusion.
