Highway 1 to receive federal-provincial funding for upgrades
The federal and provincial governments are investing $75 million in highway enhancement projects throughout Saskatchewan, including investments to help rehabilitate Highway 1 in and around Moose Jaw. Both levels of government are providing $22.8 million to upgrade about 43 kilometres of Highway 1 and 37 kilometres of Highway 7, which encompasses Moose Jaw and the towns of Grenfell and Delisle. The federal government is contributing $7.83 million and the provincial government is contributing $15.4 million to this project.
Total federal contributions to all highway improvement projects in Saskatchewan are $32.7 million; the provincial government is contributing $42.7 million. These investment contributions to well-planned infrastructure projects will make it easier to move people and products across the country, while supporting sustained economic growth and productivity for years to come, explained a joint federal-provincial news release. Investing in modern transportation infrastructure is critical to connecting communities, moving commercial goods to market and people safely and efficiently to their destinations, and building a strong economic future for all Canadians.
The projects involve building four sets of passing lanes on Highway 4 and repaving about 220 kilometres of highways 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 20, 21, 55 and 102. Once complete, these improvements will not only increase the safety and efficiency of Saskatchewan’s highways, but also help facilitate trade and support economic growth for years to come, said the news release.
The Government of Canada is contributing $32.7 million to these projects through the New Building Canada Fund, Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component — National and Regional Projects while the province of Saskatchewan is providing $42.6 million. Through the Investing in Canada infrastructure plan, the Government of Canada has said they will be investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
Of this funding, $26.9 billion is supporting green infrastructure projects, including $5 billion available for investment through the Canada Infrastructure Bank. More information about Canada’s long-term infrastructure plan can be found at www.infrastructure.gc. ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html.