It's not quite what groups in the city have been asking for, but the provincial government has announced a section of Highway 39 will be twinned.
The province issued a press release Monday morning announcing that pre-construction work has begun on twinning Highway 39 from Estevan to Bienfait. Along with the section of Highway 39, the province is also twinning 26 kilometres of Highway 16 from Saskatoon to Clavet and 24 kilometres of Highway 7 from Saskatoon to Delisle.
"We're moving forward on pre-construction work for twinning specific sections of highways that are handling high traffic volumes that are forecasted to become even busier as Saskatchewan continues to grow," Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris said in the release. "These highways have been selected based on criteria that takes into account not only traffic volumes but also safety, which remains our highest priority."
Highway 39 has been a somewhat controversial topic in the southeast, as many have raised alarm bells about the increased traffic and corresponding increase in accidents. A number of individuals and groups such as the Time to Twin committee from Estevan have pressed the government to twin the highway from the North Portal border crossing all the way to Regina.
However, the province has been steadfast in its stance that the volume of traffic on much of Highway 39 did not meet their threshold for twinning. But in a recent letter to the editor McMorris said the Estevan to Bienfait section - with 6,690 vehicles per day - did meet the criteria.
The release said the planning work for Highway 39 will begin this summer, adding the work must be done now as it takes two or more years to complete. Negotiations with landowners in the area are expected to start after the design is completed and the right of way requirements are known.
"We're being proactive by completing environmental assessments, designing twinning lanes, and purchasing land," McMorris said. "This is all part of highway planning work that needs to be completed prior to any construction starting."
The release noted that the government does not have a timeline in place for construction to begin.
