Among the things the two local canola plants bring to the city, one of them is an increased volume of truck traffic. In order to deal with that, the Yorkton West truck route is being developed. The route reached a major milestone last week, with phase 1 being completed.
Construction of that first phase began in 2009. The $8.2 million project involved moving a 5.3 km long segment of Highway 16 about 400 metres south, re-aligning Highway 16's access to Grain Millers Drive, and re-aligning a portion of Grain Millers Drive. The goal of this phase of the project was to accommodate truck movements safely to Grain Millers Drive and in and out of the canola crushing plants.
The completion of this portion of the truck route, combined with the next planned phase, address many safety concerns with the old section of highway had. The intersections between Highway 16 and Grain Millers Drive are now safer and more efficient for truck traffic in the area.
Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit says that the truck route, when completed, will have large benefits for both the city and the province. Yorkton will see truck traffic diverted around the city, which will reduce congestion and increase safety.
"From a provincial perspective, we have to ensure Saskatchewan has a first class transportation network for trucks to move our goods, after all we are an export-based economy and we do business around the world," Ottenbreit says.
Ottenbreit says that the completion of the phase shows also businesses that the province is willing to work with them.
"We're encouraging businesses to come here, and we're willing to work with their needs, within reason, to address their concerns," Ottenbreit says.
Pat Van Osch from Richardson International says that the improved infrastructure is key for the canola business in the area.
"Highway infrastructure is an important part of the community, it's a requirement from an economic growth perspective. People look for good rail and road infrastructure for when they're looking for sites. That's part of the reason why we're here, and why LDM is here."
Construction of phase 2 of the project began in October, and involves building a 6 km long bypass highway to connect Highway 16 and Highway 52, and building turning lanes at the intersection of Highway 52 and the bypass highway. This phase is expected to open to traffic in 2011.
