LASHBURN, Sask. — The twinning of Hwy. 16 in Lashburn got started yesterday, thanks to the Canada/Saskatchewan Strategic Highway Infrastructure Program (SHIP).

The $5.5 million project is jointly funded by the province and the feds, and will see twinning completed by Sept. 28.

Yesterday, Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, federal Transport Minister David Collenette and Sakatchewan Transportation Minister, Mark Wartman, kicked off the project with a joint announcement.

“This funding will play an important role in helping to improve Saskatchewan’s roads and highways,” says Goodale of SHIP. “This kind of support is crucial to economic development and public safety.”

Collenette adds “This project, which will enhance safety and improve the flow of traffic, is an excellent example of cooperation between the Government of Canada and the province of Saskatchewan.”

Hwy. 16 is a well-travelled northern east-west transportation corridor, also known as the Yellowhead Hwy. The western section is used by about 3,000 vehicles per day.

“One of Saskatchewan’s top highway capital construction objectives is to twin Hwy. 16 from Saskatoon to the Alberta border by 2010,” says Wartman. “This highway construction project goes a long way in contributing to this goal.”