Moose Jaw overpass rebuild nears higher clearance

Highways Minister Kim Gartner announced September 24 that a $35 million project to raise the Highway 2 overpass over Highway 1 at Moose Jaw is nearing completion, according to a Government of Saskatchewan release.

Gartner said the corridor along Highway 1 is important for provincial trade and that the $35 million project will let people and freight move through the Moose Jaw area with greater safety and efficiency. Gartner also thanked drivers for their patience and credited construction crews for the work completed.

Crews demolished a pair of roughly 60-year-old bridges that had a clearance height of 4.5 metres. The release said the clearance was cut to 4.2 metres for construction, with signs alerting drivers and updates posted to the Highway Hotline. The new overpass will offer a clearance of 5.3 metres once work is done.

The rebuild also swaps the former cloverleaf interchange for a diamond-style layout, a change the release says will smooth traffic flow, cut down on upkeep and make the intersection safer for drivers passing through.

Crews still need to pave, grade and restore the site before the project wraps, the release said. The ministry expects that to happen by mid-October, weather permitting, at which point traffic will return to normal and the new 5.3-metre clearance will take effect.