Following the old adage there are two seasons in Saskatchewan, winter and construction season, progress has begun on passing lanes west of Flaxcombe all the way until the Alberta border on Highway 7. 

Steve Shaheen, Senior Communications Consultant for the Ministry of Highways, said progress is going well. 

“Overall progress is continuing; work continues on Highway 7 west of Kindersley. Construction runs from about 27 kilometers West of Kindersley to nearly two kilometers east of the Alberta border, and the construction continues on four passing lanes and intersection treatments at Marengo and Alsask. These will be the last four lanes, two were completed last year and these are the last ones from the whole entire corridor from West of Delisle to the Saskatchewan Alberta border.” 

The need for passing lanes on the busy Highway 7 corridor has been an issue for many years, and once they are completed, it will make it easier for vehicles who are stuck behind slower moving traffic.  

“The good news is, once this Highway 7 project is complete, it will provide many opportunities for motorists to pass safely along that busy corridor. It does make travelling more efficient, and certainly it cuts down on the frustrations that motors sometimes get when they have to sit behind the slower moving vehicles,” Shaheen added. 

As for the expected completion date of the passing lanes project, Shaheen said it should be completed by late July. 

“New passing lanes are scheduled for completion near the end of July, so we are winding things down. Of course, that is subject to weather, which we hope that'll hold, so we can get some work done.” 

Delays are expected, but there will not be any construction work on Canada Day. Shaheen did warn there will still be places where speed limits will decrease due to the sharp drop off of pavement. 

Other projects around the West Central region include paving on the east side of Highway 21 north of Kindersley, which should be completed within the next week or so. 

And on Highway 51 from 3 km west of south Junction Hwy 317 to Vicinity of Alberta Border, a big paving project is underway, as a notch and widening is being done on the East end of the project and Grading/surfacing on West end project. Traffic is one lane at times with a pilot vehicle and stop lights in place.