[ad_1]
Saskatchewan’s Rural Municipalities Association (SARM) is calling for increased funding for rural roads and bridges ahead of the upcoming provincial elections. The organization emphasizes that infrastructure is vital for thousands of municipal residents and is crucial for boosting the rural economy by supporting the oil and gas, agriculture, mining, and other natural resource sectors.

According to SARM, roads and bridges in rural Saskatchewan will continue to deteriorate without additional assistance, leading to social and economic consequences. They point out that the largest road network in Canada is located here, with Rural Municipalities (RMs) responsible for the regular maintenance and repair of 164,000 kilometers of roads. They also oversee nearly 1,300 bridge structures, with SARM indicating that 60% of rural bridges have surpassed their expected service life and need replacement. The cost of bridge construction has risen by 25% per square foot.

Bill Huber, SARM’s Vice President, noted that the Rural Integrated Roads Grant (RIRG) program provides funding to support rural road and bridge construction, including culvert installations. SARM reports that road construction costs have also increased, causing many projects to be withdrawn.

Despite rising construction and maintenance costs, funding for the RIRG program dropped from $25 million between 2009-2014 to $15 million between 2015-2023. Although this year the program was raised to $17.4 million, SARM believes it still does not meet the needs.

Shantel Lipp, President of the Saskatchewan Heavy Construction Association, stated that government infrastructure spending should increase in line with inflation. SARM has expressed that issues such as infrastructure, healthcare, policing and crime, and agriculture should be addressed in the provincial election campaign.

[ad_2]
Source: Tarım Haberleri