Sask. aims to reduce crashes with safety improvements on highway outside of Prince Albert
The provincial government is hoping recently completed passing lanes and plans to twin a portion of Highway 3 west of Prince Albert will reduce serious crashes.
The province funded three sets of passing lanes between 10 kilometres west of Prince Albert to Shellbrook. It also plans on twinning a 7.1 kilometre stretch from the city to the Shell River bridge.
Minister of Highways Fred Bradshaw said the ministry has funded 27 sets of passing lanes across Saskatchewan in the past four years.
“We found everywhere where we put in passing lanes, the accident rate has gone way down,” he said.
Bradshaw said passing lanes have shown to reduce fatal crashes by 75 per cent.
“I’ve actually travelled this highway, so I know what it’s like out here and how much traffic is on that highway, especially with the lumber industry,” he said.
“People get lined up behind heavy equipment and they try to take a chance and go out and pass.”
Highway 3 between Prince Albert and Shellbrook has recently seen crashes resulting in deaths or serious injuries.
This includes the deaths of a 30-year-old man and a four-year-old boy last year.
Lexi Zbaraschuk has also been advocating for improvements since she suffered life-altering injuries in 2018, when her car collided with a semi-truck. She was 16 years old at the time.
In an interview with CTV News after the highway upgrades were announced, Zbaraschuk said she “was smiling so much she could barely talk.”
It’s also welcome news to Shellbrook mayor Amund Otterson. While some collisions are “inevitable,” he believes the safety improvements will significantly reduce serious crashes.
“A lot of people live in Shellbrook and work in Prince Albert. But on the other hand, education and health care workers come the other way in a lot of cases,” he explained.
“You’re not behind a lineup of commercial vehicles, which are going slow because they have to.”
The passing lanes cost $9.1 million. Pre-construction on the twinning outside of Prince Albert is set to start later this fall.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.
Calgary bridges remain closed due to ongoing police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.