There’s a lot of dirt moving in and around Prince Albert this summer and it’s great to see. The summer construction season has seen site work on the Rose Garden Hospice and Aquatic Centre projects, as well as needed safety improvements to area highways.
Earlier this summer we celebrated the opening of two new sets of passing lanes between Prince Albert and Christopher Lake with planning underway to twin an eight-kilometre section of Highway 3 from Prince Albert to the Shell River Bridge. That project is planned for a fall tender.
Highway 3 between Prince Albert and the Shell River Bridge will be twinned, becoming an eight kilometre stretch of divided four-lane highway. This vital roadway connects Prince Albert with communities to the northwest, including the towns of Shellbrook, Big River and the Village of Debden. Th Ministry of Highways recently initiated planning and design work for the project and will begin the consultation and engagement process in the coming weeks and months.
The Ministry has developed a strategic design for the project aimed primarily at improving safety for intersections along the highway. This includes:
- A four-lane divided highway with a concrete median barrier in the centre of the road;
- Reduced speed limits to increase reaction time and safety for motorists;
- Protected T-intersections, similar to those constructed in Saskatoon, which have reduced collision risks compared to current T-intersections; and
- Upgraded or reconstructed service roads to accommodate additional traffic.
Currently, the speed limit is 100 km/hr on Highway 3. This will be lowered to 90 km/hr after twinning is completed, resulting in only an additional 30 seconds to drive through the corridor. This will also eliminate the severity of head-on collisions with oncoming traffic. The lower speed limit will increase safety in conjunction with the concrete median barrier in the middle of the road.
The Ministry of Highways is also constructing three sets of passing lanes between the Shell River Bridge and Shellbrook as a safety improvement along Highway 3.
In the city, we know that paratransit is critical for people with disabilities to access reliable travel to school, work, medical appointments, and other daily activities.
This year, I’m pleased to say Prince Albert is among the municipalities receiving capital assistance grant funding toward the purchase of paratransit buses.
The Transit Assistance for People with Disabilities program is an annual provincial grant program available to municipalities like ours that offer paratransit services.
I’m glad that our government can continue to partner with the City of Prince Albert to support people with disabilities and reduce barriers in our community.
Investments in early childhood development community programs are also supporting families and children here in P.A. and across the province.
Our government is allocating over $23 million in funding to support the continuation of the Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECIP), KidsFirst Targeted and Regional Programs and Early Years Family Resource Centres (FRCs).
The KidsFirst Targeted Programs provide supports for child development, parenting and mental health and addiction treatment services.
FRCs support families through parent education, family wellness initiatives and referrals to other community services.
ECIPs support families with children experiencing developmental delay or disabilities.
We are pleased to make these investments to give more support options to growing families here at home and across the province.
As always, if you require assistance with government programs or services, or if you wish to provide ideas and feedback for improvement, please visit the Prince Albert Carlton Constituency Office at Bay 4 – South Industrial Drive. You can also reach us by calling 306-922-2828 or by e-mail at pacarltonmla@sasktel.net.
