The federal and provincial governments are investing $8.2 million to construct passing lanes on Highway 7 between the Saskatchewan communities of Delisle and Rosetown.
Once complete, there will be eight passing lanes totalling 16 kilometres of new highway.
The project will increase safety on that stretch of the busy Saskatoon – Calgary corridor that has been the scene of deadly crashes over the years.
According to SGI, there were 436 collisions resulting in three deaths between 2010 and 2013. One person was killed in January 2014 after a crash west of Delisle.
“This project addresses increasing traffic volume on Highway 7,” said Nancy Heppner, Saskatchewan’s Minister of Highways and Infrastructure.
“Passing lanes will improve safety and efficiency for drivers travelling between cities like Saskatoon and Calgary on an important part of our National Highway system.”
The federal government is contributing $3.8 million through the New Building Canada Fund.
“Canada’s highways are important links between our communities, which is why our government is proud to support the Highway 7 passing lanes project,” said Kelly Block, the member of Parliament for Saskatoon – Rosetown – Biggar.
“It will help promote economic growth in the region, improve mobility in Saskatchewan, and increase safety for all those who use it.”
Construction is underway and if all goes as planned, one or two lanes are expected to open by the end of this year with the rest completed by the end of 2015.
It’s not the only construction taking place on Highway 7.
In the 2014-15 budget, the government announced 24 kilometres of Highway 7 west of Saskatoon to Delisle will be twinned.
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