Released on September 7, 2012
Drivers will have now have access to a safer exit and entrance to Highway 1 at White City with the completion of new ramps, designed to improve safety and traffic flow at the junction of Highway 1 and 48.
"I am proud to announce the opening of exit and entrance ramps at White City," Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris said. "These ramps are a first step in addressing safety and growth in our many communities along the Highway 1 corridor. We are addressing immediate safety concerns this season, and will continue to place safety at the forefront of our long-term planning."
"I've heard directly from the residents of the communities east of Regina that we need to improve safety along Highway 1, and it's encouraging to see the progress that our government has made so far," Regina Wascana Plains MLA Christine Tell said.
"The communities of White City, Pilot Butte, Balgonie and the RM of Edenwold have worked with the province on a plan to improve Highway 1 for our residents and all of those travelling on Highway 1 and Highway 48," White City Mayor Bruce Evans said. "We know there is a further need to do more improvements but I'm happy to see this step completed."
This $2.5 million project was originally underway in the fall of 2011. Work resumed again on July 18, 2012, and the lanes were completed and opened to traffic today. The project included building an exit ramp, eastbound on Highway 1 to southbound on Highway 48, and an entrance ramp, northbound on Highway 48 to eastbound on Highway 1.
The ramps are designed to allow for high-speed exit from Highway 1 onto Highway 48 (southbound) and high-speed entry onto Highway 1 from Highway 48 (eastbound). The smooth transition from the ramps to the highway, or vice-versa, supports the free flow of traffic and improves sight lines for vehicles accessing Highway 1. Sight lines for vehicles turning left onto Highway 1 from Highway 48 are improved because there are no longer slow moving vehicles that may block the sight line of fast moving vehicles on Highway 1, which can result in "t-bone" collisions. The ramps will improve traffic flow and enhance the overall safety of the intersection.
In addition, preliminary earth work has begun at the junction of Highways 1 and 46 at Balgonie to build an exit ramp, westbound on Highway 1 to northbound on Highway 46. This work, valued at $1.4 million, is expected to be complete by late fall 2012, depending on weather and contractor progress.
The ramps are part of the immediate recommendations of the Highway 1 East Functional Planning Study that was completed in November 2011 to improve safety on Highway 1 and accommodate growth of the partner communities.
For more information on the immediate, short-term, medium and long-term recommendations, visit http://www.highways.gov.sk.ca/highway1east.
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For more information, contact:
Kirsten Leatherdale
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8484
Email: kirsten.leatherdale@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-536-9692
Bruce Evans
White City
Phone: 306-781-2355