LAST LEG OF HIGHWAY 11 TWINNING UNDERWAY NEAR MACDOWALL

Released on July 17, 2013

The much-anticipated final leg of Highway 11 twinning is now underway as crews begin work on a 13 km stretch north and south of Macdowall.

Contractor Langenburg Redi-Mix has begun work on the new northbound lanes, which will be paved this summer beginning 2.5 km south of Macdowall and continuing to 10.5 km north of that community.

“Once this final $10.1 million paving project on Highway 11 is complete this fall, the major north-south trade corridor between Regina and Prince Albert will become an official four-lane highway, with the exception of where the road narrows through the village of Chamberlain,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris said.  “This will wrap up a $124 million joint federal-provincial investment to accelerate twinning and enhance this important trade corridor, which carries billions of dollars in exports to varying markets.”

Back in 2009, the federal and provincial governments announced that they would each contribute $62 million to complete the last 75 km section of Highway 11 twinning from north of Saskatoon to Prince Albert.  The project was supposed to be complete last fall, but weather and contractor delays resulted in the final leg of twinning being pushed back to the 2013 construction season.  While the wet spring has caused some delays on road construction throughout the province, officials are confident that this final leg of Highway 11 twinning will be complete this year. 

“Highway 11 connects Saskatchewan’s three largest cities and carries more than 14,000 vehicles per day, including shippers, commuters and tourists alike,” Batoche MLA Delbert Kirsch said.  “As the completion draws near, it signals exciting growth opportunities for Saskatchewan’s Northern Gateway.”
 
Also underway this summer is the grading and paving of about 1.6 km of newly-twinned northbound lanes west of the junction of Highways 11 and 2 into Prince Albert.  This work includes an intersection re-alignment.  Construction on this $4.9 million project, which began in May, should be complete later this summer.

“The completion of Highway 11 twinning will go a long way toward dramatically reducing the number of head-on collisions we’ve seen on this stretch of highway over the years,” Macdowall Reeve Raymond Gauthier said.  “The creation of a four-lane highway through our area will vastly improve safety.”

At the time the federal-provincial twinning project was announced, Highway 11 was a two-lane undivided highway from south of Hague to north of Macdowall.  This final 13 km project near Macdowall will connect twinning work already completed from the north and south.

All motorists are reminded they must slow to 60 km/hr in highway work zones. New black and white signs will tell drivers exactly when to slow to 60 km.  Drivers now face three times the previous fines for speeding and heavier enforcement in work zones. For your safety and the safety of workers, please obey the law in work zones.

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For more information, contact:

Joel Cherry
Highways and Infrastructure
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4805