Each year, CAA Saskatchewan holds its worst roads contest.
It’s a chance for people to submit their choice(s) for the worst municipal roads and highways in Saskatchewan. They can submit their reviled stretch of road, include a few photos, and see how it compares to deteriorating counterparts in the province.
In some ways, it turns into a bit of a punchline. We get to make wisecracks about the worst routes in the province and how horrible they are. We also get that dose of reality about how things could be worse.
You might not be happy with that 15-kilometre segment of highway that you have to drive every day, but other roads are worse.
This campaign is also a source of awareness. It’s a constant reminder that there is always so much work to do on highways in Saskatchewan. Some highways have appeared multiple times or in consecutive years, much to the chagrin of motorists.
In southeast Saskatchewan, we have several highways in need of attention. One of them, Highway 13 near Redvers, was in second spot in Week 2. It’s not a surprise that it would appear; after all, it’s adjacent to a bustling town and Highway 13 serves as an important link between Saskatchewan and Manitoba. There are a lot of people who can vouch for the fact that it needs attention.
It’s not the only one in this region that would merit a spot in the top 10.
Highway 47 from Estevan to Stoughton needs attention. It’s needed to be resurfaced for a few years now. You would think it would be a high-priority highway because of the amount of traffic and the number of heavy trucks, but it continues to be overlooked.
Highway 18 from Estevan to Outram is in bad shape. The Roche Percee Access Road is likely in the worst shape of any asphalt roads in the region. While it really needs attention, it’s likely getting ignored because it doesn’t have much traffic.
(It’s hard to imagine 10 roads in worse shape than the one that runs to scenic Roche Percee).
The Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure has done a pretty good job on many of our highways down here. They have put a lot of money into Highway 39, ranging from resurfacing to upkeep to installing passing lanes (even if passing lanes weren’t our first choice down here).
They have put money into parts of Highway 13 east of Stoughton (even if the area around Redvers needs attention) and Highway 18 from Estevan to the Manitoba border.
But there are other areas that need work. And we should be at the top of the priority list. After all, if it wasn’t for the revenues generated by the oil and gas sector in the southeast, the government wouldn’t have been able to return to surplus budgets faster than it projected.
The contest has evolved over the years. At one time, it was just highways that were on the list. Now municipal roads are included. You have to wonder how closely municipalities follow the results. (If municipal roads were included in 2013, Souris Avenue North/Highway 47 from King Street to city limits would have been a favourite to win.
Road repairs can be tough for some municipalities, especially small towns and villages. They don’t have access to the resources of the provincial government and larger centres, and resurfacing Main Street and other arterial roads can be expensive. And if it’s public that one of their main roads is deteriorating, that’s not exactly good news for trying to draw visitors from elsewhere.
Still, perhaps it’s time to separate the contest into two components. One for the highways, and the other for the municipal roads. That way, a few more of each get their turn in this dubious spotlight.
But it is a contest that is well worth following.
