The editor:
Twice this past month, I needed to drive to Regina. On both occasions I ended up in a congested convoy of vehicles of varying sizes.
The first trip saw two of us driving sports utility vehicles, falling in line behind four semis. Two of the semis had taken the scenic route through central Estevan (another issue for another day), with the other two merging into traffic at the truck route intersection.
Driving conditions were clear but the wind was wicked and it became obvious the truckers were having their challenges. One was a two-unit bulk petroleum carrier, another was carrying a cube box, another was an empty flat bed while the fourth was hauling a piece of heavy excavating equipment, marked as an oversized load.
The semis were lined up behind one another and 90 to 95 kilometres per hour was their best and safest speed I would presume. Thankfully, none of us who fell in behind them felt the need to do any rodeo driving.
Our little parade turned into a major one by the time we reached Midale. I checked the rear view mirror on that sweeping curve and was able to quickly count 12 vehicles stacked up behind us, including three more semis with one of them being another oversized unit.
Two of us finally managed to escape the convoy by taking full advantage of the two traffic lights in Weyburn. None of us had been able to pass the semis earlier thanks to the volume and intensity of the oncoming traffic, coupled with the wind conditions and spacing problems.
I began to think about how many passing lanes would have been needed to have efficiently taken care of this situation. My guess was that we would have needed one huge passing zone between Hitchcock and Halbrite to relieve ourselves of the congestion.
I realize Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure numbers indicate Highway 39 and Highway 6 south aren’t quite there yet in terms of vehicle numbers, but on this particular day, and another one a week later, that ended up with a convoy of 13 vehicles from Weyburn to half-past Milestone, tells me that numbers only don’t tell the whole story.
Fortunately I had left myself with a half-hour bridge for my appointment. That made me only five minutes late once I reached Regina.
On both occasions, the wind was a big factor along with the fact that Highways 39 and 6 are restrictive two-lane thoroughfares trying feebly to accommodate international traffic and trade.
We can’t allow the tiny stretch of four-lane construction from the Bienfait corner to Estevan end up being the lip-service recognition of the growing needs of southeast Saskatchewan. That cannot be their “it will do” solution to our traffic woes.
We need the Time to Twin team to keep hammering away with their facts, figures and convincing arguments. We can’t let a twinned highway project sink into the background due to current economic conditions.
After all, some day that GTH and Regina bypass will be finished and the need to provide compliant highway infrastructure into and out of that centre will be vital.
Norm Park
Estevan
