Calvert NDP Leaves Behind Billion Dollar Pothole In Our Highways
Wall Announces Plan to Fix Highways and Improve Municipal Streets
Brad Wall today said a Saskatchewan Party government will fix the billion dollar pothole that the Calvert NDP has left in Saskatchewan’s highways system.
“Over the past decade, this NDP government has collected nearly a billion dollars more in fuel taxes than it has spent on highways and transportation,” Wall said, citing figures from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) Annual Highways Review.
“That’s a billion dollar pothole the NDP has left in our highways system, and it explains all the other potholes in our highways,” Wall said. “A Saskatchewan Party government will dedicate all of the fuel tax collected to highways and transportation infrastructure.”
Wall went one step further, announcing the Saskatchewan Party would use $140 million from the NDP government’s recent $395 million sale of the NewGrade upgrader to fund highway and municipal road construction. $40 million from the NewGrade sale will be used to increase support for the Green Initiatives Fund while the remaining $215 million will be used to pay down the provincial debt.
“In addition to fixing more highways, some of this money will go directly to municipalities to address infrastructure issues and traffic problems. Here in Yorkton, for example, the funding could be used to create road access to the proposed canola crushing plant,” Wall said, emphasizing that his government would work with municipalities to determine the best use for the funding.
Wall also said a Saskatchewan Party government would:
• Establish a five-year rolling plan for highway maintenance and construction, with a focus on improving safety and investing in infrastructure that promotes economic growth;
• Place the emphasis on quality construction, focussing on the implementation of new construction technology specifically designed to meet the demands of our climate and large scale truck traffic; and
• Create a transportation Centre of Excellence, which will include support for innovative urban road construction initiatives being developed at the Communities of Tomorrow research centre at the University of Regina.
“Safe highways are an important step in securing our economic future,” Wall said. “But more importantly, Saskatchewan people and families deserve to feel safe when they drive on our highways, and that will be a priority for a Saskatchewan Party government.”
Background Information
For more information on the Saskatchewan Party's plan to fix highways and improve municipal streets, click here.
For more information, Saskatchewan Party, Regina, 359-1638 or 1-800-966-9611.