Almost half of the funding will go towards the Clearing the Path corridors
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Saskatchewan’s provincial government is investing into rural infrastructure.
The Government is committing $14 million to improve rural roads, bridges and culverts.
The funding will come from the Municipal Roads for the Economy Program (MREP). The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities administers the program.
“The rural municipal road system plays an important part in getting our exports to market,” David Marit, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, said in a release yesterday. “Our investment in MREP supports municipalities and plays an important part in keeping our economy strong.”
Eleven rural municipalities will receive portions of the investment and $6.6 million will fund improvements to Clearing the Path Corridors (CTP). The 6,651 km worth of corridors connect heavy truck traffic with other provincial highways.
Many of the trucks traveling along the CTP are loaded with ag commodities, so ensuring the roads are in good shape helps farmers get their products to market quickly, said Todd Lewis, president of Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan.
The investment is “good news as there are some big infrastructure needs in the province,” Lewis told Farms.com today. “A lot of those roads are heavily traveled with grain and other products, so every little bit helps in keeping the trucks moving.”
The government is also investing $2.89 million into five bridge and culvert projects, and $3.5 million into six heavy haul, high volume road construction projects.