Released on October 25, 2000
The tender has been awarded for the grading and surfacing on a 10.7 km sectionof Highway 55 west of Rapid View.
Reconstruction of the subgrade, as well as surfacing work with a double seal
coat, will begin 10 km west of Rapid View and will continue to 5 km south of
the Beaver River.
"This road is being upgraded to handle the increasing heavy truck haul on this
route," Highways and Transportation Minister Maynard Sonntag said. "There is a
high volume of logs hauled over this section of highway so it needs to be
regraded and surfaced to accommodate the heavy traffic increase."
This section of Highway 55 is being upgraded under the department's Enhanced
Forestry Initiative. The existing highway is a low standard narrow roadway
with only a thin membrane surface [TMS] surfacing structure.
Potzus Construction Ltd. of Yorkton was awarded the project as the lowest of
six bidders.
"Work on this $2.7 million grading and surfacing project is set to start next
May and will be completed by late July," Sonntag said. "Completion of this job
will require 44 full-time workers."
Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation received its largest budget in history
this year, totaling $262 million. This includes $12 million announced earlier
this month for repair work on thinly surfaced rural highways and to prepare the
department for substantial improvement projects next year.
Stockpiling of gravel to be used for next year's road maintenance program will
also take place over the winter months at several locations near Makwa, Rapid
View, Blue Bell, Dorintosh and Flotten Lake. Motorists are asked to watch for
trucks hauling gravel on Highways 4, 55 and 904 from mid-December until mid-
February.
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For more information, contact:
Ray Connoly, Director
Engineering Projects
Saskatoon
Phone: (306) 933-6117
(Cell) (306) 230-5272