This study was commissioned by the Gardiner Dam Area Long Term Transportation Planning Steering Committee to determine five-year road requirements within the Gardiner Dam transportation planning area in south central Saskatchewan. The Steering Committee was formed in response to significant changes in the local road and rail system, including changes to the grain handling system, rail line rationalisation, rural demographics, rail versus road modal shares, and transportation policy, jurisdiction and finances, and was also largely spurred by a proposal to build a new grain terminal near the centre of the Gardiner Dam area. The overall objective of the study was to identify and present relevant information about the Gardiner Dam road system, in order to provide an understanding of the system and its issues over the next five years. The report will help the Steering Committee anticipate the effects of policy and program decisions, prioritise system deficiencies, and communicate transportation concerns and priorities to all levels of government and industry. Data concerning the road system was compiled from existing information sources and stakeholder consultation was used to obtain public input. Recommended improvements for the road system were based on the results of a deficiency analysis, suggestions made by the Steering Committee members and local stakeholders, and realistic funding levels, and were prioritised into three priority rankings in order to develop a realistic road improvement plan for the next five years. The final five-year road improvement plan for the Gardiner Dam area allows municipalities and the Saskatchewan Department of Highways and Transportation (SHT) to prioritise needs, avoid duplication of expenditures on parallel corridors, and an opportunity to share both financial and equipment resources on cross-jurisdictional road systems. A co-operative approach will benefit both the affected municipalities and SHT, as, for example, the municipalities require funding to construct and maintain recommended heavy haul routes and SHT benefits from the municipal haul routes by having a cost effective way to handle primary weights and maintain TMS structures for use by light traffic and tourists. (Author/publisher)
Abstract