Premier Scott Moe announced on Wednesday a $300 million stimulus package focusing on new highway projects in the province. The stimulus plan announcement comes a week after the province’s announcement of a $7.5 billion, two-year capital plan to help stimulate Saskatchewan’s economic recovery post COVID-19.
The $300 million in stimulus funds will be invested over the next two years and will include thin-membrane surface upgrades, passing lanes and improvements to municipal roads and airports.
“Infrastructure investments are important for growth, quality of life and safe transportation,” said Highways and Infrastructure Minister Greg Ottenbreit in a media release. “This stimulus package will provide an economic boost creating jobs and building priority infrastructure projects which will serve the citizens of the province for decades to come.”
Projects that will be apart of the stimulus plan include upgrades to 325 km of thin-membrane surface highways, 24 to 26 new sets of highway passing lanes, rehabilitation of at least 100 rural municipality roads and improvements to community airports.
The $300 million is an addition towards the $357 million tabled in the province’s estimates released on March 18.
Projects included in the initial estimates include nine sets of passing lanes, resurfacing and widening of Highway 5, three sets of passing lanes on Highway 10 between Melville and Yorkton and three sets of passing lanes on Highway 9 between Yorkton and Canora.
“Provincial road builders generate more than $5 billion in provincial GDP out of an economy of $73 billion or roughly seven per cent of the total provincial economy,” said Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association president Shantel Lipp.
“We employ close to 30,000 workers, making our industry one of the largest employers in the province. We welcome any move toward maintaining and eventually growing these job numbers to get our economy on track.”
According to the province, this year’s fiscal plan also includes improvements to more than 1,000 km of provincial highways, which is the first year of the 10-year Growth Plan to build and upgrade 10,000 km of highways.
