A Saskatchewan highway is not spot you would expect to see a traffic light.
But that’s the case on Highway 5 just past the junction to Humboldt. The highway flooded earlier this summer and while at first motorists had to drive through the water, the highway is now washboard gravel in three locations.
Dianne and Philip Lepage live near one of those locations and they say the condition of the highway makes for a dangerous drive.
“In the last just over a week there's three vehicles that have gone into the water,” Dianne said.
The Ministry of Highways has built up all three sections with gravel a few times, but those who live along this stretch of highway say within a few hours it's right back to the same poor condition.
In addition to safety concerns, Humboldt Mayor Malcolm Eaton says several years of water issues are affecting the economy.
“It's a pretty serious concern and we hope that sooner rather than later efforts are made to make it safer and spend some time there doing construction work to make it passable and we need to look to long-term solutions too,” Eaton said.
The province hopes it has developed a permanent fix by installing one culvert and it is now monitoring where the water goes.
“With repeated wet weather in area without proper drainage, that's why the water has risen” said Highways department spokesperson Joel Cherry. “Once we establish proper drainage like we have with the culvert it should be better."
But that's only the spot near the junction; the province says it's still trying to figure out what to do at the other two gravel sections that washed out.
Those are the spots people here are most worried about.
“I'm just scared if something is not done soon somebody is going to pay a high price,” said Philip Lepage.
The Ministry of Highways says it will install speed limit signs to slow people down but it will be at least another month of single-lane traffic before the busy highway is repaved.
