Released on December 3, 2008
Highways and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Elhard today announced a Rolling Five-Year Capital Plan for Saskatchewan's transportation infrastructure.
"Two decades of neglect means Saskatchewan has a significant infrastructure deficit; at the same time, we need to make strategic investments to give the province the roads required for future growth," Elhard said.
The five-year plan consists of five main components; gateway corridors, urban highway connectors, a rural highway strategy, a northern transportation strategy and a continuing focus on system stewardship.
Elhard made special reference to the Rural Highway Strategy, a cornerstone piece to the rolling five-year capital plan.
"Our Ministry engineers and planners constructed the Rural Highway Strategy using a comprehensive, consultative and strategic process," Elhard said. "They assessed more than 10,000 kilometres of provincial highways utilizing specific factors that will dictate how projects are prioritized. These factors include engineering economics, highway function and traffic, highway safety, alignment with the provincial economy, potential partnerships and the local economy that each road serves."
The strategic factors are used to constantly reassess and re-evaluate the prioritization process. And the plan is updated and adjusted annually providing the opportunity to include new and emerging priorities.
"We are not just reacting to road and highway problems," Elhard said. "We have a proactive and visionary plan to build the infrastructure we need to handle our current and future economic growth."
Elhard added that the provincial budget will dictate the pace of the work but at all times planning will be transparent allowing industry, local communities and the construction and road building communities to plan for the future.
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For more information, contact:
Doug Wakabayashi
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4804
Email: dwakabayashi@highways.gov.sk.ca