Highway 11 Twinning

The Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure is currently on target to complete the twinning of Highway 11 between Prince Albert and Saskatoon in 2012.

The federal and provincial governments are each contributing $62 million to accelerate the Highway 11 twining project with the completion date moved forward from 2016 to 2012. The federal funding comes from the Building Canada Fund.

Completing twinning on Highway 11 between Saskatoon and Prince Albert is a priority for the following reasons:

• A twinned highway will be safer for motorists and commuters in growing bedroom communities
• Highway 11 is an important trade corridor carrying Saskatchewan exports to varying markets
• Highway 11 is Saskatchewan's principal north-south corridor linking our three largest cities -Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert to Trans-Canada Highway 1
• Yellowhead Highway 16 and mainline railways
• Highway 11 is Saskatchewan's gateway to the north
• HIghway 11 is an important tourism corridor

During the 2009 construction season, a newly twinned 11-km section opened to traffic stretching south from Highway 11's junction with Highway 2 near Prince Albert. Following this 2009 opening, about 75 km of the about 127-km-long stretch of Highway 11 between Saskatoon and its junction with Highway 2 south of Prince Albert remained to be twinned by the targeted completion date of 2012.

During the 2010 construction season,grading was completed (building the roadbed) on a 13-km segment from 2.5 km south of Macdowall to northeast of Macdowall. This segment should be paved and open to traffic in 2011. Construction was also underway on a 30 km segment from Hague to north of Rosthern, which included grading, paving, and construction of service and auxiliary roads around Hague. This segment should be open to traffic in 2011. Grading (building the roadbed) from south of Duck Lake to north of Duck Lake was underway in Feb. 2011. These new lanes should be open to traffic in 2012. All timelines for completion are dependant on weather and contractor progress.