Released on May 8, 2026
Today, Highways Minister Kim Gartner officially kicked off Saskatchewan's road construction season near a more than $17 million Melville to Fort Qu'Appelle Highway 10 passing lane project with an important safety reminder.
"To protect motorists, ministry crews, contractors and anyone working on or near a road, we ask all drivers to please slow down, be patient, be alert, obey all signage and flag persons," Gartner said. "We thank all drivers in advance for doing their part to help everyone get home safely as work continues to improve our highway network to sustain our quality of life and support our export-based economy."
The project began last fall with the start of installing a total of four bored culverts along the route, work on a cattle underpass east of Fort Qu'Appelle and crushing gravel. Construction begins this year on eight passing lanes between the city and town, turning lanes on Highway 10 at its Highway 47 junction at Melville with improvements to a nearby rest stop, along with a guardrail replacement. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
A snapshot of some of the other work planned this construction season in the area includes:
- A $450,000 culvert replacement under Highway 56 near Fort San expected to begin and be completed this construction season.
- A $1.6 million seal coating project on Highway 22 east of Esterhazy. The about 15 km long project is expected to begin and be completed this construction season.
- A more than $260,000 culvert replacement under Highway 56 near Fort Qu'Appelle expected to begin and be completed this construction season.
- An estimated more than $19 million project to improve more than 30 km of Highway 16 from near its junction with Highway 80 in Churchbridge heading east through Langenburg and Marchwell to near the Saskatchewan-Manitoba Border. Improvements will include culvert work and repaving, along with nine intersection treatments: one at Marchwell, five around Langenburg (which includes road surface improvements to a nearby portion of Highway 8), one at Grid Road 636 and two at Churchbridge. Work is to begin in May and expected to be completed by the end of the year.
- About $6 million is expected to be invested toward routine maintenance this year across the Yorkton, Melville, Esterhazy, Fort Qu'Appelle and Leross areas. This work includes short-term projects, typically completed within one to two days, such as road surface patching, gravel blading, dust control, crack sealing, surface sand sealing and other minor pavement repairs. Highlights include fog seals (a preventive measure to preserve and extend the life of pavement) on the following highways:
- An eight-kilometre section of Highway 10 east of Balcarres.
- Highway 9 north of Yorkton.
- Nine kilometres across various sections of Highway 10 between Yorkton and Melville.
- On Highway 6 south of Raymore.
Motorists are reminded to check the Highway Hotline at https://hotline.gov.sk.ca/ which has information about work zones, ferry crossings, closures and incidents.
All construction projects are subject to weather.
With this year's budget, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested more than $14.6 billion in transportation infrastructure since 2008, improving more than 22,700 kilometres of highways across the province.
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