Outside of the weather and our beloved CFL team, there are few topics in Saskatchewan that generate more discussion than our highways.
No matter how much money is spent on fixing Saskatchewan roads, there is always a long list of routes that need to be fixed. It’s reality of having more kilometres of paved highways per capita than any other province in the country.
So you can forgive Saskatchewan residents for enjoying CAA Saskatchewan’s annual competition to select the worst road in Saskatchewan. It’s our chance to inform the provincial government about the nearby shabby highways.
The provincial government deserves a lot of credit for the work they have done on many southeast highways. Most of Highway 39 from North Portal to the junction with Highway 6 was resurfaced between 2002 and 2015. Most of Highway 13 from Stoughton to the Manitoba border, Highway 18 from Estevan to the Manitoba border, and Highway 47 from Estevan to Stoughton have also been resurfaced.
Not only are these the busiest highways in the region, with lots of heavy trucks, but the highest volumes for Highways 13, 18 and 47 in the province are in the southeast.
But given the complaints you hear about some of the less-travelled highways in the southeast, one has to wonder why they aren’t in the top 10.
For example, where is Highway 47 from Stoughton to Highway 1? Of all the highways in the southeast, that 80-kilometre stretch of broken pavement and gravel is likely the worst. And if there is a highway in the province in worse shape, then that would be frightening.
Highway 47 from Estevan to the U.S. border is another road that has been in terrible condition for a lot of years. And since it’s a connector route with the U.S., it leaves a horrible first impression for Americans visiting Canada.
Highway 18 from Estevan to Oungre receives a lot of complaints due to the broken pavement, the frequent gravel patches, the potholes and the overall state of disrepair. (Highway 18 west of Oungre is even worse).
The argument against resurfacing a route like Highway 47 north of Stoughton, or Highway 18 west of Estevan, is there isn’t enough traffic on those roads to warrant resurfacing. How can you spend millions of dollars on a highway with less than 1,000 vehicles a day?
That’s a pragmatic argument.
But this governments, and governments in the past, have dumped lots of money on highways with less traffic than Highway 18 from Estevan to Torquay.
And you have to wonder if people would be more willing to travel those roads if they’re in better shape.
Hopefully, by the end of the competition, there’ll be a couple highways from the southeast in the top 10, to create more awareness of southeast Saskatchewan’s worst roads.
