RM of Buckland Reeve Don Fyrk helps cut the ribbon, along with a number of local MLA''s, highways minister Fred Bradshaw (middle) and John Halkett (right) from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. (Dawson Thompson/paNOW Staff)

By Dawson Thompson

Highway Improvement

Additional passing lanes improve safety on Highway Two

Jul 22, 2021 | 2:11 PM

Two sets of passing lanes were recently constructed on Highway Two, between the Prince Albert and Christopher Lake about 31 kilometers north of the city.

The project cost about $7.5 million dollars. Local government officials hosted a ribbon cutting this morning to celebrate the completion of the project, including minister of Highways Fred Bradshaw, MLAs Joe Hargrave, Nadine Wilson, Alana Ross and Delbert Kirsch, as well as members from the Lac La Ronge Indian Band and Rural Municipality of Buckland.

“These passing lanes are significant safety improvements to what many call the gateway to the north,” Bradshaw said during the ceremony. “Studies have shown passing lanes can reduce collisions by as much as 25 percent.

“We have been working hard to improve the highway safety, whether it has been intersection improvements or passing lanes. We want to see the safety of our highways improved in Saskatchewan.”

This project was the first completed under the ministry’s $300-million portion of the province’s $2.4 billion stimulus program.

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“This safety investment is greatly appreciated by residents and motorists travelling to and from Prince Albert,” Wilson, MLA for Saskatchewan Rivers said in a media release. “Highway Two is such an important corridor for the area and these new passing lanes will benefit so many people through safety and expanded capacity for an ever-growing area.”

The Government of Saskatchewan is constructing 30 sets of passing lanes over the next two years, building on the 27 sets constructed in the last four years.

“If people use these properly it will save a lot of tragedy, headaches and time,” Don Fyrk, Reeve of the RM of Buckland said. “It’s just a win-win all around.

“It’s just like anything else that gets done, you have your pros and cons but there’s more pros to this than there are cons.”

The Saskatchewan government plans to improve more than 1,350 kilometers of provincial highways this year as part of its ten year goal to build and upgrade 10,000 kilometers of highways. The province is currently ahead of the pace needed to meet this target.

“We have had a great summer for highway building,” Bradshaw said. “The tendered projects have been coming in quicker than what we expected. This one here is a bit ahead of schedule.”

The Prince Albert area will also see additional passing lanes constructed on Highway Three between Prince Albert and Shellbrook. A portion of this highway will be twinned.

“That’s coming next. Hopefully, we can get some of the work started this fall,” Bradshaw said.

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Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @dawsonthompson8