Lancer, Saskatchewan, November 5, 2010 – The completion of Highway 32 in southwest Saskatchewan from Shackleton to Prelate was celebrated today by the Honourable David Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and for the Canadian Wheat Board and MP for Cypress Hills-Grasslands, together with Jim Reiter, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure for Saskatchewan, and Wayne Elhard, MLA for Cypress Hills.
"The Government of Canada was proud to partner with the Government of Saskatchewan to fund this critical highway project, as Highway 32 supports the economic growth and development of the local economy," said MP Anderson, on behalf of Rob Merrifield, Minister of State (Transport). "Rebuilding this highway will also improve the efficiency of the transportation network and increase community safety."
"Highway 32 was neglected for decades, and gradually deteriorated to the point that local residents and the area ambulance could barely make it down the road safely," said Minister Reiter. "With the help of my predecessor Wayne Elhard, this highway finally got the attention it deserved, and I'm thrilled to see the new highway rebuilt to meet the needs of motorists as well as the region's tourism, agriculture and natural gas sectors."
"I commend the residents of this region for their hard work, passion and creativity to raise awareness about the state of this highway," said MLA Elhard. "Local highway users made their needs very clear – they needed a highway that was safe, smooth and strong enough to meet their transportation needs and support regional economic development. I'm thrilled to see they finally got the highway they deserve."
Highway 32 from Prelate to 4 km northwest of Shackleton has been rebuilt from a thin membrane surface road with a dirt base and thin asphalt overlay to a structurally-sound paved highway with a base of earth, sand and graded granular material, topped by asphalt concrete. This will allow this section of highway to be capable of supporting primary weights, the highest legal weight at which shippers can transport goods on the highway network. In addition to this work, repaving took place on Highway 32 from the Junction of Highway 1 to southeast of Cabri, using crumb rubber asphalt made from recycled tires.
The Government of Canada and the Province of Saskatchewan provided a joint contribution of $21.95 million in total eligible costs related to Highway 32 under the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund. The Government of Saskatchewan invested an additional $22.45 million. The entire project was valued at approximately $44 million.
The federal contribution to this project comes from the $4-billion Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, which provides funding to provincial, territorial and municipal construction-ready infrastructure projects.
Since the launch of the Economic Action Plan, approximately $10.7 billion has been committed through Infrastructure Canada's programs toward more than 6,100 projects. Along with contributions from other partners such as provinces, territories and municipalities, this represents a total investment of over $30 billion.
For more information on federal infrastructure investments, visit www.buildingcanada.gc.ca.
Robert Lynch
Office of the Minister of State (Transport)
613-990-9573
Infrastructure Canada
613-948-1148
OR Toll-free
1-877-250-7154
Kirsten Leatherdale
Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure
306-787-8484
