New Passing Lanes Nearing Completion on Highway 7

• 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 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.

Passing lanes 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.

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 $3.83 million 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 $8.5 million.
• 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 more than $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 is for projects in communities with fewer than 100,000 residents through the Small Communities Fund.
  • An additional $1.25 billion in funding is for the Public-Private Partnerships (P3) Canada Fund administered by PPP Canada.

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

For additional information on the New Building Canada Plan, visit 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 www.budget.gc.ca/2015/home-accueil-eng.html.

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For more information, contact:

Steve Shaheen
Highways and Infrastructure
Saskatoon
Phone: 306-933-5641
Email: steve.shaheen@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-527-8740

Vincent Rabault
Office of the Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs 
Phone: 613-943-1838