Released on July 15, 2010
New crossovers have been installed and opened to traffic on Highway 1 West, located west of the Junction of Highway 21.
The crossovers will allow westbound traffic to transition to and from the east-bound lanes while the westbound lanes are rebuilt. The westbound lanes at Eagle Valley were destroyed during flooding on June 19.
"Unprecedented flooding and extreme weather events have caused significant damage in many areas of the province and the provincial government is working to address the needs of Saskatchewan people as quickly as possible," Minister of Highways and Infrastructure Jim Reiter said. "The ministry's crews and contractors worked hard to reopen the Trans Canada Highway and we will work just as hard to restore four-lane service."
The previous crossovers were temporarily established on existing approaches, requiring westbound traffic to negotiate near-90 degree turns to transition to and from the westbound lanes. Because of this, Long Combination Vehicles (LCVs) were unable to use the crossovers and had to drop part of their load before continuing westbound. LCVs are tractor-trailer units with two or more trailers. The new crossovers will accommodate passenger vehicles, recreational vehicles and all legal dimension and permitted trucks, with the exception of over-weight and over-dimension loads.
At the same, work continues to rebuild the westbound lanes and make permanent repairs to the eastbound lanes. Design work for the rebuilding of the westbound lane continues. The ministry anticipates reopening Highway 1 to four-lane traffic this fall.
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For more information, contact:
Doug Wakabayashi
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4804
Email: doug.wakabayashi@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-536-0049