West central drivers who travel east of Kindersley will soon be able to pass with more ease as the completion of the $66 million twinning project nears completion.

The project which added multiple passing lanes between Saskatoon and Kindersley is expected to finish the final phase of the project this week, weather permitting.

The final phase added 12 kilometres (km) of new lanes around Vanscoy, adding to the 31 kms of Highway 7 twinning between Saskatoon and Delisle.

As Highway 7 has seen an uptick of commuters in the last decade, Jim Reiter, Health Minister for the Government of Saskatchewan, stated, “The twinning project, and the new passing lanes between Delisle and Kindersley, provides more opportunities to pass safely which helps traffic flow efficiently,” said Reiter on behalf of Greg Ottenbreit, Minister of Highways and Infrastructure.

Over the last 10 years, the highway’s traffic volume has increased by approximately 20 per cent, from nearly 3000 vehicles per day to over 3500 per day as recently reported.

Highway 7 has seen higher traffic volume as it is a key trade route for the province, connecting communities that act as a main hub in west central Saskatchewan, including Kindersley, Rosetown, Delisle and Saskatoon. Additionally, the highway on the west side of Kindersley, takes motorists to Calgary and other ports on the west coast.

In a previous interview, Steve Shaheen, senior communications consultant with Highways and Infrastructure, stated they do have plans to start twinning specific sections of the west-bound Highway 7 as well and that those details will be released as the project moves forward.

The $66 million twinning project adds to the $9 billion in transportation infrastructure projects conducted by the government since 2008.