CAA Saskatchewan has launched its annual Worst Roads Campaign, and wouldn’t you know it, Moose Jaw’s Coteau Street West is on the list in seventh place.
CAA kicked off its annual campaign on April 4, and since then, cyclists, pedestrians, motorcyclists, transit riders, and motorists have identified their favourite — despised? — worst and unsafe roads.
As of April 11, the top 10 roads on the campaign list included Highway 44 near Eston, Highway 13 near Redvers, Butte Street in Pilot Butte, Highway 9 near Whitewood, Highway 123 near Petaigan/Ravendale/Pemmican Portage, Coteau Street West, Highway 9 near Hudson Bay, Old Highway 35 near White Fox and Highway 918 from Beauval to Patuanak.
The city has worked hard to maintain streets and infrastructure, including replacing 20 kilometres of cast iron pipes and related roads during the past six years, he added. The problem with these two streets is the municipality can’t put heavy equipment on them, so it does what it can with them.
“It certainly has been a challenging winter, but it’s time for the ice and snow to melt and make way for spring and the return of the popular CAA Worst Roads campaign,” the company said.
“This major advocacy and safety campaign for CAA Saskatchewan invites all road users … to nominate and vote for their worst, unsafe roads from April 4 to April 25, 2023, at caask.ca/worstroads,” it continued.
“Road users can vote for more than one type of road user every 24 hours. The 2023 CAA Top 10 Worst Roads will be announced on April 26, 2023.”
New this year is Angel Blair, the CAA Worst Roads’ roving reporter. Blair’s interview with Kim Onrait, executive director of Citizen Services with the City of Regina, kicked off this year’s campaign. The interview focuses on three Regina roads that made the 2022 CAA Worst Roads Top 10 list: Mayfair Crescent at No. 1, Grant Drive at No. 8 and Ingersoll Crescent in the ninth spot.
Shantel Lipp, president and Chief Operating Officer with the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association, will also speak with Blair about the upcoming road construction season and why the association supports CAA’s campaign.
“The work that it (the campaign) does and the attention it draws to some of the roads in Saskatchewan is really important,” Lipp said.
“We hear from folks in rural Saskatchewan talking about roads maybe the Ministry of Highways hasn’t identified as a potential hazard,” she added. “But, the local folks know that there are safety issues along that road, or they know where the roads are that are being utilized to haul heavy loads of material whether it’s farming or mining.”
The CAA Worst Roads site includes a Google Map Locator that visualizes vote distribution across the province. It will pinpoint the locations of the nominated roads receiving votes.
Potholes and crumbling pavement have been the most prominent safety issues during the CAA Worst Roads campaigns. However, road users have also identified cracks, general disrepair, poor signage, congestion, and unsafe infrastructure as issues.
Saskatchewan is a land-locked province with over 250,000 km of roads, more than any other province.
Visit caaworstroads.com/clubs/saskatchewan/vote to nominate a road.
