MOOSOMIN, Sask. — It’s been nearly 50 years in the making, but Saskatchewan has finally completed its twinning of the Trans-Canada Highway.

Construction on the two-lane Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan began in 1950 and was completed in 1957. Saskatchewan was the first province to complete its section of the national highway, originally cost-shared with the federal government and built to agreed standards nation-wide.

Four-lane construction on this highway began three years later with the first 21 km twinned section opened from Regina east to Balgonie by 1962.

The last section of twinned highway around Moosomin was opened to traffic on Nov. 6 — 48 years later.

"In 1957, Saskatchewan was the first province to complete construction of its portion of the two-lane Trans-Canada Highway," said Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure Minister Wayne Elhard. "Today, we are the first province in the new west to fully twin this important national highway, which links us to port facilities and major Canadian centers from coast to coast."

The total cost of twinning Highway 1 was $217 million with $59 million contributed by the Government of Canada through the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund and the Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program.

The Trans-Canada is 655 km in length across Saskatchewan. Average daily traffic in Saskatchewan varies from a low of 4,700 vehicles per day between Maple Creek and Gull Lake, to a high of 22,800 immediately east of Regina.