Whether it is a simple confirmation of a commitment, or an enhancement of the original announcement that over $7 million was being assigned for the construction of two more lanes on the strip of highway that links Bienfait with Estevan, Tuesday’s announcement was welcomed.
It’s an accepted fact there is a growing and an even more desperate need to link our southeastern transportation centres to Regina with more than a two-lane ribbon of highway.
The volume of traffic speaks volumes regarding the intensity of this traffic, and the size of the loads being carried up and down this highway between Estevan, Weyburn and Regina is a huge factor in the decision being made to move this project along in a more timely manner.
Even more recent fatalities along the Highway 39 and Highway 6 south corridor, speak the truth about this intensity, as well as the volume.
The slow down in the oilpatch, has not significantly impacted the pace and urgency of the traffic flow. The traffic stream has not subsided.
Wide loads that require oncoming traffic to take to the shoulder of the existing highway strips to avoid collisions, are not unusual scenes every day on this highway.
When traffic gets bundled up because one vehicle is travelling at 90 km/h rather than the usual 100 to 110 km/h, the highway rodeo begins in earnest with impatient drivers taking risks in passing the slower moving vehicles due to perceived or real deadlines associated with their own cargo or passengers.
A very necessary truck bypass around Estevan is nearing completion and none too soon. When we can divert the heavy units away from the central part of the city, it will create a much more healthy and safer environment in Estevan. It’s a small step, but a very necessary one that dates back more than 60 years.
We are convinced that our Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure and their federal counterparts, who monitor the traffic flow from two of Saskatchewan’s busiest international highway border crossings will see the wisdom in putting some money into a project that will give a safer and quicker route to use whether it be for freighted goods or people.
Rail traffic through the Energy City has increased substantially over the past 10 years and there has been a corresponding growth in truck freight, too, it’s just that this growth is a little less dramatic to the casual viewer.
With the growth of the logistics and transportation hub in Regina, we can’t expect this traffic volume to be reduced. It will only mean a slow but steady increase, as goods from the southern United States make their way into Canada via our road-based ports of entry. It’s the preferred way to deliver goods, and, with the promise of a four-lane expressway to look forward to within the next few years, it simply means southeast Saskatchewan will be better equipped to expedite these deliveries in a 21st Century manner.
None of this demand now, or in the future, is speculation. It’s quickly becoming a necessary component of doing business in Saskatchewan, via the Energy City and beyond.
