NORTH BATTLEFORD, Sask. — A freshly-twinned stretch of Hwy. 16 west of North Battleford, Sask. is now open to traffic.

The 13.6 km stretch of blacktop took $7.7 million to complete and was cost-shared between the feds and the province.

“Highway 16 in Saskatchewan is a key link in our National Highway System,” said Minister of Finance Ralph Goodale, on behalf of Transport Minister Jean-C. Lapierre. “It is imperative to continue to build an efficient highway network to ensure businesses can get their goods to market in a cost-effective and timely manner.”

Lapierre added “Twinning this section will help improve the flow of traffic along Highway 16, which carries commercial traffic between Saskatchewan and Alberta. It will also benefit residents in the area and travellers alike.”

The province plans to continue twinning Hwy. 16 from North Battleford all the way to Lloydminster.

“This project is part of our commitment to improve Saskatchewan’s transportation network. Our progress towards the completion of twinning Highway 16 from North Battleford to Lloydminster is increasing safety along this primary route and enabling regional economic development,” said Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation Minister Maynard Sonntag. “Transportation is an issue of vital strategic interest at both the provincial and national levels, and this infrastructure project is an excellent example of what can be accomplished through partnership between the Province of Saskatchewan and the Government of Canada.”