By Alex Soloducha

Work continues on Hwy 302 East

Jun 29, 2015 | 7:12 AM

A project that has been a long time in the making is progressing along on Highway 302 East.

About 25 kilometres (km) out of Prince Albert near the Weldon Ferry, the highway has been getting a makeover. Crews are in the midst of construction of the subgrade and surfacing on a new alignment from the ferry landing to 2.5 km northwest.

The Weldon Ferry access road was first closed in 2011 and work on a temporary fix began. Since then, farmers in the area have been struggling to get farming equipment across.

Work on a more permanent solution started last fall, according to Joel Cherry, senior communications consultant with the ministry of highways. When the ground thawed this spring, they resumed at the sight and the crews have been working daily, as weather permits, since May 17.

“The new alignment is away from where there has been a long history of landslides,” said Cherry. “We’re doing patches on the current road there and repairs but for a long-term solution we decided to move the road.”

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The cost of the ‘large scale’ project has been most recently estimated at $6.2 million and Cherry said the work should be completed by July of this year.

According to Cherry, the work is being carried out by a private company.

“Most of our large-scale work, that is, grade and scale projects, are done by private contractors,” he said, detailing that ministry crews handle smaller scale repairs like pothole filling and seal coating.

The ministry of highways warns that drivers should watch for equipment and people working parallel to the road, as most of the work is on the new alignment.

Motorists can also get additional travel information and details about other construction activities from the Highway Hotline online or toll-free across Canada at 1-888-335-7623.

asoloducha@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alex_soloducha