Motorists in Lake Lenore, Bladworth and Bredenbury can now enjoy a safer, smoother drive into their communities with the completion of planned upgrades to access roads.

Construction on these access roads has recently been completed and work on the Gerald, Milden and Broderick accesses is planned or underway, as part of $10.3 million in projects in the 2012 construction season. Funding is provided through the Small Community and Tourism Access Roads Program.

“Our government has made it a priority to tackle these long-overdue projects, improving access to our small communities and tourism destinations ensures the health and viability of these communities well into the future,” Highways and Infrastructure Minister Don McMorris says.

Other projects previously announced in 2012 include access roads to the communities of Dinsmore, Verwood, Kennedy, Prelate, Dodsland, Hanley and Margo, as well as the Sun Valley Access (north of Moose Jaw at Buffalo Pound Lake).

The Saskatchewan Community and Tourism Access program evaluates a network of more than 1,300 km of access roads in the province that connect smaller rural communities and tourist attractions with provincial highways. Roads considered for reconstruction under our program include provincially owned and maintained access roads off highways that lead into a community or tourism attraction.

Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure officials identify eligible access roads that are in poor condition, giving priority consideration to projects where the ministry can capture cost savings or efficiencies from planned construction work on adjacent highways. Other criteria include traffic volume, collision statistics, the highway’s condition and annual maintenance costs and community population and employment and/or tourism visitation.