ROCHE PERCEE — The Roche Percee Access Road is in the best condition it's been in for years, thanks to the completion of a resurfacing project.
The 2.7-kilometre portion of the road closest to the village now has a fresh, thin layer of asphalt. Funding for the project came under the Thin Membrane Surface Fund, which supports a number of highway projects throughout the province each year.
Mayor Jay Riedel said it's been "amazing" to see it finally happen. When he ran for mayor in the 2020 civic election, one of his primary objectives was to see the refurbishment occur.
"I've lived down there for over 30 years now, and I've got some nice cars and everybody else has some nice vehicles, and it's a shame to have to drive down that road for all these years," said Riedel.
He believes the condition of the road has deterred people from visiting the pierced rock formations and some of the other tourist attractions in the area.
"From my vantage point and my house, I could see how many people are at the rocks, throughout the summer, every day," said Riedel. "There's lots of times there's a hundred vehicles down there."
When he talked to people from outside the area, the first thing they told him was the next to fix the road.
The mayor said people in the Roche Percee area are thrilled to have the work complete. Some have called it a life-changer.
"You don't know whether you want to take the backroad home, and in the winter time it's terrible with the snow removal," said Riedel. "Everybody's in denial [that the resurfacing happened]. Everybody's in disbelief. We didn't think it was ever going to happen. Now we've moved onto other things."
Doug McClement with GenCo Asphalt said the method used for the resurfacing was the most cost-effective option for the job, as it gives a bit of strength and better rideability than the current state of the road.
The project was expected to wrap up late last week or early this week.
Estevan MLA Lori Carr, who was recently appointed as the Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, said the repairs were approved earlier this year.
"This is one of the ones that actually came to the top as one of the worst ones," said Carr. "The tender was sent out in June, it was awarded in July to GenCo. It really is just one of those programs that has a budget throughout the year and they prioritize projects."
She conceded the road was in bad condition, and Carr said she and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ East Transportation Planning Committee had joined Riedel and others in advocating for the resurfacing.
Thin membrane surface roads were not designed for heavy traffic, although there are some heavy trucks that use the route. Carr said they level out the surface and apply a 40-millimetre asphalt overlay, which would be under two inches.
She also noted that when Highway 39 was twinned east of Estevan in 2017, 800 metres of the access road closest to the highway were resurfaced.
Within the village, crossings at the bridges were levelled out.
Riedel credited area municipalities and the Â鶹ÊÓƵ East Transportation Planning Committee for supporting efforts to have the road paved. He received the backing of the RMs of Coalfields and Estevan and the City of Estevan. The support was forwarded to Carr and Premier Scott Moe.
"When Scott came to town to visit [in August], that was one of the first things I talked to him about was the road, and Lori was there with him," said Riedel.
Now that the road has been resurfaced, Riedel suggested a show and shine would be a great event for Roche Percee to host.
