In between rain storms, highway crews twin the last 50 kilometres of Highway #11 North between Saskatoon and Prince Albert.
Don McMorris, the minister of highways and infrastructure, is hopeful the project will be done this fall.
"It can vary depending on weather, all we need is a couple weeks of wet weather and that will delay things, but as of today we are on schedule to have it complete."
Highway #11 is one of the busiest single lane highways in the province. That's why motorists are looking forward to a faster, safer commute.
But this project has a dark side. The new highway now goes around communities it once went through, like Hague.
Jen Loeppky works at Fay’s restaurant. She says they now serve half the customers they used to.
"The same day the highway opened, business dropped. It's not just here; the whole town is shutting down. Business has dropped everywhere. Staff has been cut in, I think, all the stores downtown."
Across from Fay's Restaurant used to be an Esso. The owner says he lost so much business he was forced to close within a couple months of the new highway opening.
But further down the road, at Duck Lake, deputy mayor Neil Anderson has a more optimistic outlook as the divided highway gets closer.
"Maybe now with the highway, it might make it better for us to sell lots in town. A divided highway makes a big difference travelling back and forth to work."
The province says it has to balance the needs of communities, motorists, the economy, and safety when deciding where a road should go.
Communities will have a better sense of the long term impact this fast track could have on local business once the full 127 divided kilometers opens.
