No. H 234/08
For release - December 5, 2008
MOOSOMIN, SASKATCHEWAN - Ed Komarnicki, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and to the Minister of Labour and Member of Parliament for Souris–Moose Mountain, on behalf of John Baird, Canada's Transport and Infrastructure Minister, together with the Honourable Wayne Elhard, Minister of Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure, today announced the completion of the twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) in Saskatchewan.
"We are pleased to announce the completion of the twinning of this section of Highway 1," said Minister Baird. "Our Government is committed to working with its partners to identify and to accelerate transportation infrastructure projects that help make our country and our economy stronger."
"The Government of Canada is delivering on its commitment to improve Canada's infrastructure," said MP Komarnicki. "Today's historic highway completion is another example of what we are doing to put people to work, improve road safety, and create long-term community infrastructure."
"In 1957, Saskatchewan was the first province to complete construction of its portion of the two-lane Trans-Canada Highway," said Minister Elhard. "Today, we are the first province in the new west to fully twin this important national highway, which links us to port facilities and major Canadian centres from coast to coast. Twinning this corridor will provide us with more efficient links to our major export markets and enhance motorist safety."
Saskatchewan began the final stage of construction on Highway 1 East which involved completing twinned lanes from near Wapella to east of Moosomin, including a new bypass around Moosomin. These new lanes were opened to traffic on November 6, 2008.
The total cost of twinning Highway 1 was $217 million with $59 million contributed by the Government of Canada through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF) and the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP).
For more information on the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund, please visit: http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/ip-pi/csif-fcis/csif-fcis-eng.html
For more information on the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program, please visit: http://www.tc.gc.ca/SHIP/menu.htm
A backgrounder with further information on the Trans-Canada Highway is attached.
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Chris Day
Press Secretary
Office of Transport and Infrastructure
Minister John Baird, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Kirsten Leatherdale
Highways and Infrastructure
Government of Saskatchewan
306-787-8484
306-536-9692
Transport Canada is online at www.tc.gc.ca. Subscribe to news releases and speeches at www.tc.gc.ca/e-news/ and keep up-to-date on the latest from Transport Canada.
This news release may be made available in alternative formats for persons with visual disabilities.
Highway 1 or the Trans-Canada Highway is part of the National Highway System (NHS) and is one of the busiest transportation corridors in the province. It is a primary east-west trade artery, a major tourism route, and a key land link from coast to coast across Canada.
Highway 1 is 655 km in length across Saskatchewan. Average daily traffic in Saskatchewan varies from a low of 4,700 vehicles per day between Maple Creek and Gull Lake, to a high of 22,800 immediately east of the City of Regina.
History
Construction on the two-lane Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan began in 1950 and was completed in 1957. Saskatchewan was the first province to complete its section of the national highway, originally cost-shared with the federal government and built to agreed standards nation-wide.
Four-lane construction on this highway began in 1960 with the first 21 km twinned section opened from Regina east to Balgonie by 1962. The last section of twinned highway around Moosomin was opened to traffic on November 6, 2008, 48 years later.
Timeline - Highway 1 West of Regina:
- 1967-70 – Regina to 2.8 km east of the Mortlach access; and from Swift Current to 1 km west of the Junction of Highway 32
- 1968 – west of the Junction with Highway 4 at Swift Current to 5.3 km east of Swift Current
- 1971-72 – 3 km east of Herbert to 5.3 km east of Swift Current; and 2 km east of the Mortlach Access to 7 km east of Chaplin
- 1975-76 – 7 km east of Chaplin to 3 km east of Herbert
- 1983 – west of the Junction with Highway 32 to west of Webb
- 1987-88 – Gull Lake to 5 km west of Gull Lake; and west of Webb to Gull Lake
- 1999 – 5 km west of Gull Lake to west of Tompkins
- 2001 – from the Alberta border to 19 km east
- 2002 – 19 km east of the Alberta border to 3 km east of Highway 21
- 2003 – 3 km east of Highway 21 to 8.5 km west of Tompkins
Timeline - Highway 1 East of Regina:
- 1961-62 – Regina to 2 km east of Balgonie
- 1972 – Balgonie to 1 km east of Qu'Appelle
- 1984 – 1 km east of Qu'Appelle to 3.8 km east of Indian Head
- 2001 – 3.8 km east of Indian Head to 3.8 km east of Wolseley
- 2004 – 3.8 km east of Wolseley to 5.9 km west of Broadview
- 2005 – 5.9 km west of Broadview to 3 km west of Whitewood
- 2006 – 3 km west of Whitewood to 1.5 km west of Burrows
- 2007 – 1.5 km west of Burrows to 3.6 km east of Wapella
- 2007 – Manitoba border to 3 km east of Moosomin
- 2008 – 3.6 km east of Wapella to 3 km east of Moosomin
Highway 1 East
- Twinning on Highway 1 East did not advance for most of the 1990s.
- In 1997, a target to complete twinning Highway 1 East from Indian Head to the Manitoba border (168 km) was set for 2012.
- New construction timelines were set in March of 2003 following the announcement of a funding partnership between the provincial and federal governments. Twinning Highway 1 East was accelerated to 2007.
- Construction began on the 168 km corridor between Indian Head and the Manitoba border in 1998. The province has invested $107.1 million to complete this corridor while $50.3 million has been contributed by the federal government.
Highway 1 West
- In 1997, a target to complete twinning Highway 1 West from west of Gull Lake to the Alberta border (108 km) was set for 2008.
- New construction timelines were set in March of 2003 following the announcement of a funding partnership between the provincial and federal governments. Twinning Highway 1 West was accelerated to 2003.
- Construction began on the 108 km corridor between Gull Lake and the Alberta border in 1998. The province has invested $50.9 million to complete this corridor while $8.8 million has been contributed by the federal government.
December 2008
