LAJORD, Sask. – New signs are going up in Saskatchewan to mark 4,500 kilometres of primary weight grid roads that link main highways and create transportation and economic development corridors.
The corridors were identified under the Clearing the Path initiative, a project started in 2004 by rural and urban municipalities to improve the economic climate in rural communities.
The provincial government contributed $5 million in the 2007 budget and has pledged $10 million in 2008.
The money goes to municipalities to maintain and gravel the connecting roads as heavy traffic moves off highways and onto the municipal system. The agreements are worth about $1,000 per kilometre.
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Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities president David Marit said transportation costs are a limiting factor to economic development in many areas.
Identifying municipal roads that can handle heavy weights and linking them to primary weight highways creates an integrated transportation system.
The next phase of the project could include another 7,000 km of municipal roads, some of which would require construction to bring them up to standard, Marit said. Some highways also require upgrades.
His own municipality in southwestern Saskatchewan missed out on Phase 1 because it contains only secondary highways. Primary weight roads can accommodate 42 tonne loads, while secondary roads can carry 38 tonne loads. That four tonne difference results in extra trips.
“When I’m paying 30 cents a bushel to haul (grain) out, that makes a big difference to me,” Marit told reporters at an event to unveil the corridor map.
“We’re just trying to make it work for everybody.”
Government relations minister Harry Van Mulligen said diverting traffic and paying municipalities to maintain roads will allow the government to focus less on maintenance and more on reconstruction.
Marit said that in some cases, four or five municipalities had to work together to sign a particular road into the system.
The corridor roads will be marked with green primary weight signs. Marit said the committee will help educate the trucking industry about the new signs and where the roads are.
He added that slowing the heavy traffic on grid roads to the 80 km-h speed limit is a concern from both safety and maintenance standpoints.
The maps can be found at www.clearingthepath.ca.
