REGINA, Sask. — Saskatchewan has released a winter tender schedule containing more than $72 million in road improvement projects.

The schedule was released at the recent Saskatchewan Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association annual convention in Saskatoon.

“This is another substantial Winter Tender Schedule, demonstrating the province’s ongoing commitment to invest in highway improvements that support the provincial economy,” said Saskatchewan Transport Minister, Mark Wartman.

The schedule included 29 highway improvement projects, a bridge construction project and 15 gravel stockpiling jobs. That represents about 56 per cent of the province’s planned construction activity for 2004-2005.

Highlights include: 174 km of pavement resurfacing; 148 km of grading and paving; 275 km of micro-surfacing; and a bridge rehabilitation project at North Battleford. Among those, there will be 36 km of newly-twinned lanes on Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 1 East; 16.2 km of thin membrane surface (TMS) roads converted to pavement on Hwy. 6 creating a paved link between Regina and the U.S. border and a further 70 km of TMS roads will be paved across the province.

“In Saskatchewan, highways are a lifeline connecting us to one another and driving economic development,” Wartman said. “The Winter Tender Schedule demonstrates once again that transportation is a priority for the Government of Saskatchewan.”