Released on June 26, 2015
Project Made Possible Thanks to New Building Canada PlanKelly Block, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon—Rosetown—Biggar, was joined today by Highways and Infrastructure Minister Nancy Heppner and Government Relations Minister Jim Reiter, to announce that new passing lanes on Highway 7 between Delisle and Rosetown are nearing completion.
“Our government’s support for public infrastructure has never been stronger,” said Block. “We are pleased to work with the Province of Saskatchewan to approve projects under the New Building Canada Fund, to ensure that infrastructure funding continues to flow in Saskatchewan as we focus on creating jobs, promoting growth, and building strong, prosperous communities across Canada. Canadians rely on having safe and secure road networks to get them to work, to school and to their many other daily activities and we are proud to have invested in the Highway 7 passing lanes project between Delisle and Rosetown, which will benefit all travellers passing through this corridor.”
“Investing in infrastructure that meets the increased demands of a diversified economy and growing population is a priority for our government,” Heppner said. “These passing lanes increase traffic capacity on the highway and improve safety by providing additional opportunities to pass.”
“Traffic volumes continue to increase on this busy interprovincial route, which connects Saskatoon and Calgary, and the passing lanes will improve safety and efficiency for shippers, commuters and all other motorists,” Reiter said.
When officially opened in coming weeks, four new sets of passing lanes spanning a total of 16 kilometres will provide highway travellers with more opportunities to safely pass and improve traffic flow.
Highway 7 users will also benefit from additional major safety improvements:
- About 25 kilometres of highway is being twinned between Saskatoon and Delisle. The Government of Canada is funding half of the eligible costs of the project to a maximum of $32 million. Work could be completed as soon as fall 2018. The balance of the project costs are being funded by the Government of Saskatchewan.
- The Government of Saskatchewan is also investing $2.8 million to repave about 30 kilometres of Highway 7 near Harris and recently completed a $3.1 million paving project east of Vanscoy.
The New Building Canada Plan is the largest and longest federal infrastructure plan in Canada’s history. This unprecedented commitment is providing $53 billion to support provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure, between 2014 and 2024.
Over this ten year period, Saskatchewan will benefit from more than $1 billion in dedicated federal funding, including almost $437 million under the New Building Canada Fund.
Quick Facts:
- The Government of Canada set aside up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $3.83 million for the Highway 7 Passing Lanes project under the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component, National and Regional Projects (PTIC-NRP).
- The Government of Saskatchewan will be responsible for all remaining costs related to this project.
- The total cost of the project is estimated at $8.5 million.
- The Government of Saskatchewan has invested a record $5.2 billion in transportation infrastructure since 2008.
- The $53 billion New Building Canada Plan provides stable funding for a 10 year period, and includes:
- The Community Improvement Fund, consisting of the Gas Tax Fund and the incremental Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities, which will provide more than $32 billion to municipalities for projects such as roads, public transit and recreational facilities, and other community infrastructure.
- The $14 billion New Building Canada Fund, which consists of:
- The $4 billion National Infrastructure Component that will support projects of national significance; and
- The $10 billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component for projects of national, regional and local significance. Of this amount, $1 billion is for projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents through the Small Communities Fund.
- An additional $1.25 billion in funding is for the Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Canada Fund administered by PPP Canada.
To learn more about the New Building Canada Fund – Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component – National and Regional Projects, please visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nrp-pnr-prog-eng.html.
For additional information on the New Building Canada Plan, visit www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nbcp-npcc-eng.html.
To learn more about the Government of Canada's focus on jobs and the economy consult, Canada’s Economic Action Plan at www.budget.gc.ca/2015/home-accueil-eng.html.
-30-
For more information, contact:
Steve Shaheen
Highways and Infrastructure
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-933-5641
Email: steve.shaheen@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-527-8740
Vincent Rabault
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs
Phone: 613-943-1838