Released on March 30, 2001
In 2001-02, the budget for Highways and Transportation will be $311.7million, an increase of $61.6 million. That is 24.7 per cent more than the
$250 million department budget of last year – which was the highest in
history.
Accelerating the twinning schedule on Highway 1 west tops the list of
provincial transportation spending priorities. The province will complete
twinning on Highway 1 west between Tompkins and the Alberta border in 2004
– four years ahead of the original schedule.
"Today's budget shows we are committed to fixing the roads," Highways and
Transportation Minister Pat Atkinson said. "The resource windfalls from
oil and gas we received last year gave us a chance to push ahead our
twinning plans. We seized that opportunity to save lives and improve
safety."
This budget allocates $25.6 million has been allocated for twinning
Highways 1 and 16 – almost double the $13.3 million budgeted for twinning
in 2000-01. Seventy kilometres of four-lane highways will be paved and
opened on the two national highways this year, including:
19 km east of the Alberta border on Highway 1 west;
33.5 km from Indian Head to Wolseley on Highway 1 east;
16.8 km on Highway 16 west of Maidstone to east of Lashburn; and
grading will begin on 21 km of twinning to the Highway 21 junction
at Maple Creek.
The highway system will receive an investment of $67.5 million for
improvements on paved and thin membrane surface (TMS) highways as well as
gravel roads. This spending will enable resurfacing and upgrading of 550
km of rural and northern highways. The government will invest $34.4
million will be spent to preserve, operate and improve northern airports,
roads and highways.
An investment of $72.9 million, twinning included, will be made to improve
the major highway system that carries 65 per cent of provincial traffic.
This funding provides for 235 km of resurfacing on 11 different highways.
Construction on the second bridge over the North Saskatchewan River at the
Battlefords will begin later this year.
"Building on our foundation, this investment in our highway system will
allow for more efficient transportation of goods to market," Atkinson
said. "Improving our highway system is critical to revitalizing rural
Saskatchewan – a good transportation system is a lifeline for our rural
economy."
The Government of Saskatchewan will be investing more than $900 million in
transportation over the next three years.
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For more information, contact:
Mike Woods
Highways and Transportation
Regina
Phone: (306) 787-4804