Flooded Sask. highways causing problems for truck drivers

Recent flooding in southwestern Saskatchewan is causing problems for residents of many communities.

For those who make a living driving Saskatchewan’s highways, dealing with flooded highways is also a nuisance.

Highway 229 is closed at the Highway 9 Junction. There’s water on Highway 5 near Humboldt, as well as Highway 365 near Manitou Beach, Highway 15 near Nokomis, and Highway 2 south of Moose Jaw.

Of course, the biggest mess is still on Highway 1 near the Alberta border, which is still closed after part of the highway collapsed. Sections of it need to be completely rebuilt.

Doug Wakabiaski from the government’s Highways and Infrastructure department says there is a lot of work to do.

“We have a contractor in place and crews hauling gravel,” Wakabiaski said. “They’ve made some good progress… laying ramps down to the bottom of the valley and laying base to stabilize the sub-base of the road.”

A detour is in place for traffic, but it’s not easy for those men and women who drive semi-trailers for their job. They say driving on narrow dirt lanes is difficult, especially when you have to pass slow moving vehicles.

The average delay is about four hours, which adds up quickly for truck drivers.

Roy Masters is traveling with his son, and even though they’re on their way to Alaska, they have a luxury many drivers do not. Master’s son is moving there and they can take as much time as they need.

“I’m retired and he quit his job and going to start it up again up there, so no problem,” Masters said.

The government says that without anymore serious rain or further structural damage, traffic should be moving better by Friday, when one lane of traffic is expected to be open going each way on the Trans-Canada. The complete fix-up job will not be completed for at least a month.

With the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway into Alberta, it is expected the Yellowhead Highway and Highway 7 will see much more traffic. On a normal day, 30 to 40 trucks roll through the area every day – it is expected to jump to 125.

The South Saskatchewan River has also peaked due to the rain. It has risen more than 10 feet from the Alberta border to Lake Diefenbaker. A spill from the Gardiner Dam happened on Friday, which has increased water flow into Saskatoon.

Water levels in that city are expected to remain steady for the next few days.