Yorkton is about to be in the center of a major highway facelift. Both Highway 9 to Canora and Highway 10 to Melville are getting passing lanes and other improvements next year. An information meeting was held to give people an idea of the project as well as what they can expect over the next year.
Steve Shaheen with the Ministry of Highways, said that the project exists because safety is a priority. Installing passing lanes - three sets on each side of Yorkton - will come with intersection improvements to increase safety and improve sightlines for drivers. The construction has already begun, with work happening on Grain Millers Road right now. While winter will see some construction to prepare, the bulk of the work will happen in 2020, with Potzus Construction getting the tender.
Naturally, with such an extensive rework of area highways, there will be some disruption over the next year, and parts with alternating, single-lane traffic.
鈥淩eally, there will be short term pain for long term gain.鈥�
What will be the gain when this project is all over? The passing lanes, which have been implemented in other areas of the province 鈥� the highway most likely to be familiar to area residents being on the other side of Fort Qu鈥橝ppelle.
鈥淲hat the passing lanes do is give motorists additional opportunities to pass safely. It mitigates some of the driver frustration that sometimes takes place when they get caught up in the queue and want to pass when it鈥檚 not necessarily safe.鈥�
The passing lanes are being implemented because full twinning isn鈥檛 warranted in this area, but traffic volumes are large enough that passing lanes will increase safety and reduce congestion.
If all goes well, in one year鈥檚 time the traffic will be safely flowing on the two highways, said Shaheen.
