New Passing Lanes Nearing Completion on Highway 7

HARRIS, SASKATCHEWAN--(Marketwired - June 26, 2015) - Kelly Block, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, was joined today by the Honourable Nancy Heppner, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure and MLA for Martensville, and the Honourable Jim Reiter, Government Relations Minister and MLA for Rosetown-Elrose, to announce that new passing lanes on Highway 7 between Delisle and Rosetown are nearing completion.

Scheduled for official completion in the coming weeks, four new sets of passing lanes spanning a total of 16 kilometres will provide highway travellers with more opportunities to safely pass and improve traffic flow.

When properly used, the passing lanes will allow vehicles to pass slower vehicles travelling in the right hand lane without having to cross into opposing traffic. Yellow signs will alert drivers 300 metres before the end of the passing lane to let drivers begin to merge back into the left hand lane. Motorists will still need to watch for vehicles changing lanes and merging traffic at the end of the passing lane.

Highway 7 users will also benefit from additional major safety improvements:

• About 25 kilometres of highway is being twinned between Saskatoon and Delisle. The Government of Canada is funding half of the eligible costs of the project to a maximum of $32 million. Work could be completed as soon as fall 2018. The remaining balance of the project costs are being funded by the Government of Saskatchewan.
• The Government of Saskatchewan is also investing $2.8 million to repave about 30 kilometres of Highway 7 near Harris and recently completed a $3.1 million paving project east of Vanscoy.

The New Building Canada Plan is the largest and longest federal infrastructure plan in Canada's history.
This unprecedented commitment is providing $53 billion to support provincial, territorial and municipal infrastructure, between 2014 and 2024.

Over this ten-year period, Saskatchewan will benefit from more than $1 billion in dedicated federal funding, including almost $437 million under the New Building Canada Fund.

Quick Facts

• The Government of Canada set aside up to 50 per cent of eligible costs, to a maximum of $3,835,000 for the Highway 7 Passing Lanes project under the New Building Canada Fund's Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component, National and Regional Projects (PTIC-NRP).
• The Government of Saskatchewan will be responsible for all remaining costs related to this project.
• The total cost of the project is estimated at $8,500,000.
• The Government of Saskatchewan has invested a record $5.2 billion in transportation infrastructure since 2008.
• The $53 billion New Building Canada Plan provides stable funding for a 10-year period, and includes:
  • The Community Improvement Fund, consisting of the Gas Tax Fund and the incremental Goods and Services Tax Rebate for Municipalities, which will provide over $32 billion to municipalities for projects such as roads, public transit and recreational facilities, and other community infrastructure.
  • The $14-billion New Building Canada Fund, which consists of:
    • The $4-billion National Infrastructure Component that will support projects of national significance; and
    • The $10-billion Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component for projects of national, regional and local significance. Of this amount, $1 billion for projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents through the Small Communities Fund.
  • An additional $1.25 billion in funding for the Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Canada Fund administered by PPP Canada.

Quotes

"Our Government's support for public infrastructure has never been stronger. We are pleased to work with the Province of Saskatchewan to approve projects under the New Building Canada Fund, to ensure that infrastructure funding continues to flow in Saskatchewan as we focus on creating jobs, promoting growth, and building strong, prosperous communities across Canada. Canadians rely on having safe and secure road networks to get them to work, to school and to their many other daily activities and we are proud to have invested in the Highway 7 passing lanes project between Delisle and Rosetown, which will benefit all travellers passing through this corridor."

Kelly Block, Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar

"This project is an example of our government investing in infrastructure that meets the increased demands of a diversified economy and growing population. These passing lanes increase traffic capacity on the highway and improve safety by providing additional opportunities to pass on this inter-provincial route."

The Honourable Nancy Heppner, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure and MLA for Martensville

"Traffic volumes continue to increase on this busy interprovincial route, which connects Saskatoon and Calgary, and the passing lanes will improve safety and efficiency for shippers, commuters and all other motorists."

The Honourable Jim Reiter, Government Relations Minister and MLA for Rosetown-Elrose

Related Product

Government Partnership to Build Highway 7 Passing Lanes between Rosetown and Delisle

Associated Links

To learn more about the New Building Canada Fund - Provincial-Territorial Infrastructure Component - National and Regional Projects, please visit http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nrp-pnr-prog-eng.html.

For additional information on the New Building Canada Plan, visit http://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/nbcp-npcc-eng.html.

To learn more about the Government of Canada's focus on jobs and the economy consult Canada's Economic Action Plan at http://www.budget.gc.ca/2015/home-accueil-eng.html.

Follow us on Twitter at @INFC_eng