The good news is that following decades of waiting, the Estevan area will soon get a green light for a heavy truck bypass route around the city.
The bad news is the fact the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure and some local landowners were unable to successfully negotiate an agreement on land value and therefore the ministry has had to take the expropriation route to enable the project to move forward.
It wasn't as if the negotiators hadn't had enough time to reach agreement with landowners, after all the discussions lagged on for far too long. It's just unfortunate that an agreeable evaluation figure couldn't be reached.
The process may end up leading to some hard feelings so we can only hope those will soften over the ensuing years as the bypass eventually becomes a reality.
The next major question to be faced, outside of an actual date being set for the start of construction, is whether or not there will be easy access to the bypass from within the city's core. The City is asking for access at Sister Roddy Road and Kensington Avenue and so far, those requests aren't in the master plan.
We're not sure why the highways people wouldn't be agreeable to these two access points other than raising the argument that the overall purpose of a swift and efficient bypass would be compromised if the bypass has to accommodate two or more access points, which might slow down the otherwise efficient flow of big trucks around the Energy City. Of course, one easy but more expensive answer to that problem would be the construction of a four-lane expressway rather than a two-lane bypass that may not be as efficient as the designers originally expected.
With the acknowledgement of a need to create a four-lane express route between Bienfait and Estevan already on the books, it just begs the question, why not build the bypass for the future rather than the present?
It's not as if the trucking volume is going to decrease to any significant degree over the next 20 years and will probably gradually increase.
With today's heavy transport units being built for faster speeds, hauling heavier and wider loads, the need for the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure to build to accommodate them becomes clear.
If they are going to allow trucking companies to run more wheels and longer beds with wider cargos more frequently, then surely they must see the need to build the highway wide enough and strong enough to accommodate them.
With the knowledge that at least two more trucking companies are soon to make Estevan or southeast Saskatchewan their main point of operation, there is an accompanying need to build the highways and byways of the future with a little foresight.
It's obvious that the proposed Estevan bypass won't be a neat and clean solution to our transportation problems, but it will be a positive step forward for the most part.
Serious discussions regarding the need for a safe and quick throughway for heavy trucks through or around Estevan have been in our headlines for more than 60 years.
With that in mind, we're pleased to report that finally something is being done on this file, even if it isn't going to be perfect.
