Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism InitiativeReporter
Wakaw Recorder
After several years of promises to improve Highway 312 between the Town of Rosthern and the South Saskatchewan River, those promises began taking shape this past June. In 2012, according to the Canadian Automobile Association’s Worst Roads Campaign, of the 300 roads identified in the survey, Highway 312 was ranked number nine due to its multiple potholes, loose stones, and broken pavement. The highway, which crosses the river via the Gabriel Bridge, is the only river crossing between Prince Albert and Saskatoon, aside from ferries.
A construction crew started work at the west end of the 11.98-kilometre stretch where Highway 312 intersects Highway 11 at Rosthern in early June, and although they encountered delays due to rain, significant progress was made during July. With the tender calling for the project to be completed by October 31st, the rebuilding phase nearing completion, and paving expected to begin after the long weekend, it is conceivable to expect the project to be wrapped up well before the deadline.
While there have been the so-called “keyboard warriors” who have complained every time the construction crew have taken days off, most of the comments on social media have been supportive. Most commenters expressed happiness that, at last, the highway was getting repaired, and they looked forward to driving on the new surface. Repaving was completed on the eastern end of Highway 312 a few years ago, giving travellers to the northeast lake district a smoother drive from the Gabriel Bridge to Wakaw. However, the tender for this final stretch to Rosthern called for the “construction of a surfacing structure.” For the past couple of months, the construction crew have dug out the old roadbed, installed a membrane to impede the downward loss of the new fill material into the fine underlying soil, and rebuilt the highway to a higher grade than it was previously.
Saskatchewan’s short summers are always busy for road construction crews, and drivers often become frustrated with the many construction zones they encounter, but as several Highway 312 commuters have said, with a smile on their faces, “It’s finally our turn.”
