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By Ben Tompkins

Rural Integrated Roads for Growth

Multiple rural highway improvement projects funded in northeast

Jul 17, 2023 | 4:31 PM

A total of $13 million has been invested in highway improvement projects in rural Saskatchewan, through the Rural Integrated Roads for Growth (RIRG) Program.

This will go towards 34 projects in more than 31 municipalities and communities, which include two in the northeast.

“The RIRG program has been a successful partnership program with the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) for many years,” Highways Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. “These investments in rural economies promote growth and prioritize the safety and quality of roads and bridges in rural Saskatchewan.”

The Rural Municipality of Three Lakes is set to receive $306,614 for a clay cap, while the Rural Municipality of Fletts Springs is receiving $500,000 for a bridge replacement.

The RRIG is meant to provide financial support to rural municipalities (RMs) for the cost of constructing and upgrading rural infrastructure, in hopes of helping local industries such as agriculture, energy and forestry.

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The program grants cover up to 50 per cent of each project’s total cost, to a maximum of $500,000.

“Rural municipalities maintain local infrastructure, which is supporting Saskatchewan’s rural-based industries and the provincial economy,” said SARM President Ray Orb. “The RIRG program provides financial support for rural roads which is important for our municipalities.”

The province’s $13 million commitment will go towards a total of $47 million in estimated road, bridge and culvert project costs.

For the RM of Three Lakes, their funds are set to cover a four-mile stretch of gravel road along their main grid road, 777 primary grid.

According to their administrator, Tim Schmidt, this particular piece has been an identified issue for quite a while.

“It’s a gravel road service, and that wears down after time with traffic and so on. This extends the life of the road and makes it a safer driving surface. It’ll improve it substantially, it is a bad section right now. This is the main part of the section for gravel trucks to get down to either Lake Lenore or Highway 5,” he told northeastNOW.

“Without this grant program, we would be much more restricted in the projects that we’d be able to afford to do. This grant program has significantly benefited us to be able to get some of our roads upgraded which would have been a bit of a struggle to do financially otherwise.”

Construction for this project won’t happen until next year.

And, as for the RM of Fletts Springs, they are replacing a bridge which is used for locals to get across a creek.

There are currently weight restrictions on the bridge, which will be removed once the project is complete.

A set date for the replacement isn’t yet set, however, it does have to be done by the end of next year.

Currently, the bridge is 24 feet wide, and normal standards are set at, at least 28 feet. They could expand it to 32 feet, to allow for more equipment to cross.

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news@northeastnow.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8