Saskatchewan Highway 11
Highway 11 is a major north–south highway in Saskatchewan, Canada, that connects the province's three largest cities: Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert. It is a structural pavement major arterial highway which is approximately long. It is also known as the Louis Riel Trail after the 19th century Métis leader, Louis Riel. It runs from Highway 1 in Regina north until Highway 2 south of Prince Albert. Historically the southern portion between Regina and Saskatoon was Provincial Highway 11, and followed the Dominion Survey lines on the square, and the northern portion between Saskatoon and Prince Albert was Provincial Highway 12.
From Regina to Saskatoon, Highway 11 is a four-lane divided highway except in the village of Chamberlain, where the road narrows to two lanes through the community, including its intersection with Highway 2 south to Moose Jaw. Highway 11 passes through Saskatoon, officially following Idylwyld Drive through the downtown area; however, Circle Drive is also signed as Highway 11 which serves as bypass route. North of Saskatoon, the road continues as a four-lane divided highway past the communities of Warman, Osler, Hague, Rosthern, and Duck Lake. Highway 11 then runs through the Nisbet Provincial Forest and past the hamlet of MacDowall before it reaches its northern terminus with Highway 2 approximately south of Prince Albert.
Most of the intersections along the highway are at-grade; however, there are several interchanges and overpasses along the Regina Bypass and through Saskatoon. There is a partial cloverleaf at Lumsden in the Qu'Appelle Valley and another one at Warman.
History
Beginnings
The Qu'Appelle, Long Lake and Saskatchewan Railway came through the region between Regina and Prince Albert via Saskatoon, as early as 1890 providing an early method of travel following the Red River cart and trail days. Chamberlain and Aylesbury were first linked via a highway in 1929; before this date transportation between the two was by a variety of trails. The summer of 1929 also started another road leaving the Qu'Appelle River valley east. Construction required building up low spots with elevating graders and dump wagons operated by horses. The elevating grader was to till unbroken soil and turn it towards a conveyor which lifted the dirt into the dump wagons. This process used eight horses pulling in the front, and another eight at the rear pushing. The fresno crew constructed the level areas. Ditches were constructed on a 7% grade and filled with field rock to help prevent erosion. One of the main problems constructing the highway was the heavy field stone knolls. This highway served until 1949 when it was upgraded.The 1926 highway map of Saskatchewan marks the route of Provincial Highway 11 following along the Canadian National Railway using township and range roads, so travel is in lines straight north, changing direction to west travel at 90 degree angles from Regina through to Saskatoon. Only Provincial Highway 12 is marked in the same fashion between Saskatoon and Prince Albert on the 1926 highway map of Saskatchewan, which has formed the base of the northern section of Highway 11.
As tractors replaced horses in the field and motorized vehicles replaced horses on the road, an increasing need arose to replace the early dirt trails with graded gravel highways. In the early 1930s, the gravel highway constructed between Chamberlain and Aylesbury in 1929 was further extended to Dundurn to meet this need. Shortly thereafter, the gravelled highway extended between Saskatoon and Regina.
Later history
As the Annual Average Daily Traffic increased, the need for wider, all-weather, paved roads became increasingly apparent. As early as the 1930s, various Saskatchewan cities, towns, and rural municipalities lobbied the provincial government to develop hard surfaced roads, including Highway 11, to connect its major centres, particularly Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert, and Moose Jaw. Saskatoon mayor R.M. Pinder argued that Highway 11 should receive priority because "it serves the greatest number of people for the longest period of time" and its hard surfacing would facilitate the travel of American tourists to Prince Albert National Park and support transport operations to and from the Dundurn Military Camp. A dispute flared up between Saskatoon and Prince Albert community organizations over whether Highway 11 or Highway 2 should be paved first. Prince Albert advocated prioritizing Highway 2 as a more direct route between the northern and southern parts of the province and a more attractive route for American tourists driving to Prince Albert National Park. Saskatoon preferred Highway 11 because the alternative would bypass it and not provide as many Saskatchewan residents the transportation benefits of direct access to a paved highway. In 1950, the provincial government indicated that it would prioritize the paving of Highway 11 between Saskatoon and Regina; by October 1952 this section was completely paved.The improved highway was also re-routed in some places, including the section between Bladworth and Dundurn which was completely rebuilt and bypassed. Bypasses were also built around some other towns and villages through which it had formerly passed. Although the highway's route had not entirely reached its present contours, it was made straighter; the distance traversed between Saskatoon and Regina was reduced by 27 miles. It more closely followed the CNR tracks and contained fewer right angle corners than it had in 1926. The highway between Saskatoon and Prince Albert received less attention during this period; a 1956 highway map shows that it was still almost entirely gravel.
Following the completion of the Trans-Canada Highway through Saskatchewan, federal funds became available for provincial highway projects. Highway 11 was considered an important transportation route from a national perspective, and therefore received funding under the National Highways Project. The highway between Saskatoon and Rosthern was partially paved and the remainder was oiled to create a dust-free all-weather surface, and in 1964, the last remaining gravel section of the highway, between Rosthern and its junction with Highway 2, was oiled. In the latter half of the 1960s, many sections of the highway between Regina and Saskatoon were reconstructed and given wide shoulders; previously some segments had no shoulders. During the same period, the Saskatoon to Prince Albert portion was rebuilt to "Trans-Canada standards" and extensively re-routed to follow the same course as the CNR tracks which shortened the travel distance between the two cities by 13 miles. A new route was constructed to connect Saskatoon and Rosthern via Warman and Hague. Once this phase of construction was complete, the Rosthern to Prince Albert segment was upgraded and fully paved, and the segment between MacDowall and Prince Albert was re-routed along a straighter course.
In 1960, the section between Regina and Lumsden was the first to be converted to a four lane twinned highway. Twinning the rest of highway between Saskatoon and Regina commenced in 1968 with the conversion of the segment between Saskatoon and Dundurn. Work gradually progressed until the final section between Craik to a point just north of Davidson was twinned in late 1978. With the exception of a three-kilometre, two-lane segment through Chamberlain, the newly constructed four lane sections of the highway bypassed all the towns and villages between Saskatoon and Regina. An initiative to twin the highway between Saskatoon and Prince Albert was launched in the first decade of the 21st century. In 2006, Provincial Highways and Transportation Minister Eldon Lautermilch stated that "twinning will improve the province's busiest highways to support tourism and economic development, and move our export goods to market efficiently across inter-provincial borders." Sections of highway nearest to Saskatoon were twinned first; with the paving of newly constructed lanes along a stretch between Prince Albert and MacDowall, the project was completed on October 25, 2013.
In 1971, the Department of Highways was moved from Hawarden to Kenaston, which was closer to Highway 11.
On June 20, 2001, the entire length of Highway 11 was re-named the 'Louis Riel Trail' at a ceremony which took place at the Duck Lake Regional Interpretive Centre. The LRT connects major sites of the 1885 North-West Rebellion. Mid-Lakes Community coalition, Highway 11 communities and municipalities, the Saskatchewan Métis Nation, and the Saskatchewan History and Folk Lore Society approached Highways and Transportation Minister Pat Atkinson about the designation. Saskatchewan Highway 11 is the actual course followed by the RCMP and Louis Riel to arrive at Regina for the trial of Louis Riel. The LRT sign features a red river cart featured in yellow on a blue background.
In 2008, Pinkie Road was a proposed as a four-lane twinned highway connector road linking two National Highway System routes as a part of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative, linking Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway, and Highway 11. This route was expended to continue east and bypass southern and eastern Regina, connecting with Highway 1 east of the city. The Regina Bypass was opened in October 2019 with Highway 11 being designated to the western leg of the route, while a bypassed section of Highway 11 became Highway 11A.
Maintenance
Tenders for construction work on Highway 11 in 2008 amounted to $63.3 million of which $30 million saw twinned between Prince Albert and Saskatoon. Among the projects that had received approval were the "paving of two sections of Highway 11 including of highway north of Osler to south of Hague, and of highway north of Macdowall to the Junction of Highway 2". The first project was scheduled for completion by October 2008.In 2002 a resurfacing project of of Highway 11 was undertaken on a section north of MacDowall. The approval for the $680,000 tender was awarded by Highways and Transportation Minister Mark Wartman.
Earlier maintenance included $897,000 for paving of near Hanley for a project cost of $897,000. Highways and Transportation Minister Judy Bradley awarded contracts for work in 1999.
The first asphalt rubber project occurred in July 2007 on Saskatchewan Highway 11. Close to near Davidson show the rubberized asphalt road surface on the right lane at a cost of $126,800. The next rubberized asphalt project in the summer of 2007, was through Chamberlain. The $1.4 million spent there included the rubberized asphalt pavement surface, curbs, and catch basins.