Saskatchewan Budget Focuses on Highways and Transportation Infrastructure

Saskatchewan Budget Focuses on Highways and Transportation Infrastructure
Friday, April 4, 2008

Finance Minister Rod Gantefoer handed down the first budget of the Government of Saskatchewan, which included record-high spending on highways. Gantefoer says that the $1 billion Ready for Growth Initiative is the first budget of the Saskatchewan Party and the largest infrastructure investment in the history of Saskatchewan; it focuses on ensuring that Saskatchewan enjoys safe roads in order to efficiently deliver goods to various markets worldwide, boost the provincial economy, and achieve sustainable growth.

The $1 billion Ready for Growth Initiative will increase transportation spending to $513 million, the largest Saskatchewan's transportation budget on record. Currently, the Highways and Infrastructure budget is up 15% from last year. Highways and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Elhard acknowledges that Saskatchewan is suffering from an infrastructure deficiency, a problem which has been addressed as a matter of urgency so that Saskatchewan people and goods move freely and safely throughout the province. As such, numerous, important plans, concerning building and repairing roads and highways, are currently underway.

The budget is inclusive of $137.5 million in funding allocated for upgrading thin membrane surface (TMS) highways, increasing access to Primary Weights on rural highways, twinning of Highway 11 between Saskatoon and Prince Albert, and linking Highways 1 and 16. In addition, the budget allocates $202.6 million for maintaining and repairing provincial highways. The budget further allocates $19.4 million for replacing and restoring aging bridges and culverts and another $5 million for helping rural municipalities improve municipal roads affected by truck traffic.

Thanks to Saskatchewan’s flourishing economy, $9.37 billion in revenue has been forecasted for 2008/2009, in turn prompting the government to invest in $8.57 billion in expenditures. Gantefoer concludes that the set budget is well-balanced and includes a $250 million debt reduction to help Saskatchewan be in a better position for many years to come.

Auburn Repairs Roads to Ease Traffic Pressure

Auburn Repairs Roads to Ease Traffic Pressure
Thursday, March 13, 2008

Big trucks as well as school buses, fire trucks, and growing commuter traffic are the cause of severe stress on the roads according to a report released by the Auburn Citizen's Arterial Task Force, which was commissioned by City Council in 2007. In order to face this overgrowing concern, Auburn has passed on several regulations to reduce truck traffic in the city, one of which is that tractor-trailers are banned from A Street Southeast and residential roads in the city.

Transportation issues are of extreme importance in the city nowadays, and Auburn officials are racing to repair damaged roads in order to reduce the stresses the city streets are facing. Through its Save Our Streets program, created in 2004 to maintain and repair local streets and costs an average of $2 million a year, the city has upgraded and repaired, since 2005, an average of eight miles of local roads a year. Later this year, streets with minor damage, including 22nd Street Northeast and 25th Street Southeast, will be maintained and updated. Next year, streets with the worst damage will be repaired when the city’s plans to set up new sewage and utility lines in areas that are also in need of repaving are realized.

With their manufacturing base growing rapidly over the past few decades, cities like Auburn, Kent, and Renton have been deeply affected by the increased traffic. Many of the roads in these cities were never designed for this kind of traffic in the first place. Most of Auburn’s roads were designed for passenger cars, not for heavily loaded big trucks. City leaders believe that identifying the problem areas in Auburn's streets is not the issue, but having the necessary funding to act on and fix all of them always proves to be an obstacle.

In their report, the Auburn Citizen's Arterial Task Force estimated that a budget of $85 million is required to repair and upgrade the city’s roads. Even though trucking companies are expected to pay state fees and taxes, Auburn officials say the money has not been passed on to the city level.

On the other hand, Auburn’s truck drivers are handling traffic pressure as best as they can. Bart Lutton, terminal manager for Peninsula Truck Lines operations in Auburn, Bellingham, and Bremerton, stated that the 81 drivers working in the Auburn warehouse always leave early in order to make timely deliveries in the area. Alternatively, if allowed to use city streets to make deliveries, drivers with Peninsula Truck Lines believe they could save several hours a week. However, having been banned from taking shortcuts through residential neighborhoods, drivers have to contend with getting stuck in the traffic for as long as it takes.