The second-highest transportation budget ever for the province of Saskatchewan has shone favourably on the southwest.

In a release from the office of Premier and Swift Current MLA, Brad Wall, the Government of Saskatchewan will be investing a total of $1.1 billion in highways construction across the province this budget year.  

Of the ten-figure investment in highways and infrastructure, $17 million-worth of highway projects are already underway, or near completion across the southwest.

Work has begun on a 9 km section of Highway #4 South through the City of Swift Current resurfacing the highway from near the overpass of highways #1 and #4 past the iPlex, to the railway tracks continuing south to highway 363. The project is expected be completed by the end of July, and cost $4.7 million.

In addition, there is a 24 km stretch of repaving that will be completed on Highway 4 northbound to Stewart Valley. The investment towards this section of highway is $5.2 million and the work should be completed by the end of the season, subject to weather.

Crews are also into the latter stages of completing a major bridge replacement on Highway #1 just east of Swift Current. The $2.5 million project is anticipated to be finished by the end of the June.

The $6 million dollar investment south of Cadillac to near Val Marie will be completed by the end of the following year.

Meanwhile, upgraded lighting is being installed on the #1 Highway corridor through the city in order to improve visibility and safety. The project is a result of a partnership between the province and the city where the provincial government is paying for the costs of the lights while the city is providing the installation.

Premier Wall keys in on the importance of improving roadways, saying the transportation system is the conveyance for the lifeblood of the economy.

"It's important to remember that although this budget was very tight, we're spending the second most we've ever spent, in terms of the highways and transportation budget," said Wall, who hopes the public appreciates this investment by the provincial government. "I hope that's a sign for the people of Saskatchewan that we've heard them. We know it's a priority for folks in Saskatchewan to have improving highways and we've been working at it for about nine years now, with more work to be done."