REGINA - Passing lanes are coming to Highway 10 between Fort Qu'Appelle and Melville as the Ministry of Highways looks to expand those throughout the province.
Highways Minister Lori Carr made the announcement Friday in Fort Qu’Appelle that Highway 10 passing lanes will be moving forward. It is expected to have its design completed early in 2025 and tendered by the spring, followed by the on-road construction.
It is part of the Ministry's passing lanes strategy in the province, to build more of those lanes that can allow traffic to pass more safely on two lane highways. These are seen as more cost-effective than twinning highways.
"Passing lane projects are a cost-effective investment to make our highways safer and more efficient," said Carr in a statement. "They protect motorists and strengthen our province's export-based economy to support our quality of life. This next set of Highway 10 passing lanes are part of an ongoing strategy that will guide us as we move these types of projects from the drawing board to reality to keep building and protecting our great province."
Building passing lanes has been a priority for the ministry over the last decade on major two-lane highways in Saskatchewan. The province's first major passing lanes pilot project was actually built on Highway 10 back in 2013, between Balgonie and Fort Qu'Appelle.
The passing lanes are typically two kilometres long and are built in pairs on each side of the road to allow drivers to pass other vehicles safely.
"We appreciate the Ministry of Highways moving forward in the future with additional passing lanes on Highway 10," Fort Qu'Appelle Mayor Gus Lagace said in a statement. "Infrastructure projects like these will improve the flow of commuter, business, industry and tourism traffic on Highway 10 and benefit communities and neighbours along and near this important transportation corridor."
"More passing lanes on key provincial highway corridors will assist with the movement of trucks shipping Saskatchewan goods and help keep the economy moving," Saskatchewan Trucking Association Executive Director Susan Ewart said in a news release.
