Saskatchewan Highway 16
Highway 16 is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The highway represents Saskatchewan's section of the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway. It runs from the Alberta border in Lloydminster at the intersection with Highway 17 south-eastward to the Manitoba border east of Marchwell, Saskatchewan, near Yorkton. Major cities along the route include Saskatoon and North Battleford in the central part of the province, Yorkton in the east, and Lloydminster to the west.
Highway 16 is a divided, four-lane, limited-access road from the Alberta–Saskatchewan border to just east of the village of Clavet. From Clavet east to the Manitoba border, it is an undivided, two-lane highway with multiple passing lanes. Through the city of Saskatoon, the highway officially has a concurrency along Idylwyld Drive; however, Highway 11 and Highway 16 are cosigned along the entirety of Circle Drive.
The Yellowhead Route began as the Yellowhead Red River cart trail. When the province of Saskatchewan was surveyed, the road evolved from a dirt to gravel to all-weather road known as Provincial Highway 5 from the Alberta–Saskatchewan border to Saskatoon, and as Provincial Highway 14 from Saskatoon to the Manitoba–Saskatchewan border. In the late 1950s and 1960s, the highway was straightened and widened. On August 15, 1970 the Yellowhead was opened for the northern Trans-Canada Highway. The highway was completely designated for the entire route as Saskatchewan Highway 16 in 1976.
Route description
Highway 16 West
Saskatchewan's Highway 16 is a segment of the Yellowhead Highway that traverses the width of the province. The western section is twinned and runs from Lloydminster east to Saskatoon. Major highways that intersect 16 West include 17, 21, 4, 40, and 11. Cities include Lloydminster, North Battleford, and Saskatoon.Highway 16 begins as a continuation of Alberta's Highway 16 at the intersection of the north–south Highway 17 in the city of Lloydminster. Lloydminster straddles the border of Saskatchewan and Alberta with Highway 17 running right down the provincial boundary. Over-sized border markers run down either side of Highway 17 through Lloydminster. From its western terminus at Highway 17, Highway 16 travels east through the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster and, as the highway exits the city, it passes by the Lloydminster Upgrader where it turns south-east towards a weigh scale, Marshall, and Lashburn. South-east of Lashburn, the highway turns east towards Waseca.
From Waseca, Highway 16 continues east to Maidstone where it has a 2-mile concurrency with Highway 21. Maidstone was bypassed in 2005 when the highway was twinned. After Maidstone, it resumes its south-easterly travel to Battleford. En route to Battleford, the highway provides access to Paynton, Bresaylor, and Delmas. Attractions along this section include Silver Lake Regional Park and a high Canola Plant Sculpture at Maidstone and Bresaylor Museum at Bresaylor. From about Paynton onward to Battleford, the highway parallels the North Saskatchewan River. At the north end of Battleford, Highway 16 approaches a partial cloverleaf interchange, where it becomes concurrent with Highways 4/40 as the freeway heads north-east across the North Saskatchewan River via the dual-spanned Battlefords Bridge. Prior to the building of the Battlefords Bridge, Highway 16 had continued south into Battleford where it crossed the river via the Battleford Bridge. After the completion of the first span of the Battlefords Bridge, that leg of Highway 16 was renamed Highway 16A. Soon after the completion of the second span in 2002, Battleford Bridge was closed to vehicle traffic and 16A was decommissioned.
Immediately after crossing the Battlefords Bridge, Highway 4 continues north into the city of North Battleford, while 40 and 16 veer south-east, skirting the southern edge of the city. Highway 40 then turns east, while 16 continues south-east. Highway 16B, an earlier routing of Highway 16, runs through North Battleford. Attractions accessible from the highway in North Battleford include the RCMP Statue, Gold Eagle Casino, and the Western Development Museum. From the intersection with Highway 40, Highway 16 continues south-east for a further, paralleling the North Saskatchewan River. Communities along this stretch include Brada, Denholm, Ruddell, Maymont, Fielding, Radisson, and Borden. After Borden, the highway once again crosses the North Saskatchewan River via a highway bridge. The highway bridge parallels the old Borden Bridge, which was closed to vehicle traffic in 1985. At the foot of the southern end of the bridge is the Borden Bridge Campground.
After crossing the river, Highway 16 continues south-east, passes by Langham, a weigh station, and heads towards Saskatchewan's largest city, Saskatoon. At the northern end of the city, it is met by the north–south Highway 11. The two highways share a short concurrency along Idylwyld Drive before reaching a diamond interchange at Circle Drive, a ring road around the city of Saskatoon. Highways 11 and 16 are cosigned in both directions around Circle Drive in Saskatoon; however, the official Highway 16 designation follows Circle Drive East while Highway 11 designation continues south along Idylwyld Drive towards Downtown Saskatoon. The two highways meet up again at a cloverleaf interchange at the south-eastern end of Saskatoon, where Highway 11 heads south to Regina while Highway 16 continues east towards Yorkton.
Highway 16 East
The eastern portion of Highway 16 runs from Saskatoon south-east to the border with Manitoba. Only the section east of the junction with Highway 11 is twinned. Major highways that intersect 16 East include 11, 2, 6, 35, 47, 9, 15, and 8. Cities include Saskatoon and Yorkton.The first community east of Saskatoon is Clavet. When this section of Highway 16 was twinned in 2016, Clavet was bypassed. The original section of Highway 16 runs through the town as "Old Highway 16". Highway 316 runs north–south connecting the Old Highway 16 and Clavet with Highway 16. About east of the intersection with Highway 316, the divided highway portion of Highway 16 ends. It continues east as an undivided highway, providing access to the communities of Elstow and Colonsay before intersecting with the north–south Highway 2, Saskatchewan's longest highway. Highway 2 runs from the Canada–United States border crossing, the Opheim–West Poplar River Border Crossing, north to La Ronge, in Saskatchewan's northern boreal forest. From that intersection with Highway 2, 16 heads south-east towards the Quill Lakes, providing access to Viscount, Sclanders, Plunkett, Wolverine, Guernsey, Lanigan Potash Mine, Lanigan, Esk, and Jansen. Along this section, Highway 16 has a long concurrency with Highway 20 that runs from Guernsey east to Lanigan. Langenburg is home to the world's largest swing, named Goliath, and is the last incorporated Saskatchewan community before the Manitoba provincial boundary.
At the Big Qill Lake, Highway 16 intersects with Highway 6, where it begins a southbound concurrency with 6. At the community of Dafoe, Highway 16 leaves the concurrency with 6 and heads east, skirting the southern end of Big Quill Lake en route Highway 35. Big Quill Lake is the largest salt lake in Canada, and the Quill Lakes complex is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Communities along this section of 16 include Kandahar, Wynyard, and Elfros. Wynyard Regional Park is south of Highway 16 and Wynyard along Highway 640.
From the intersection with Highway 35, 16 continues south-east en route to the town of Foam Lake. It provides access to the village of Leslie and passes by the southern shore of Foam Lake. At Foam Lake, Highway 16 intersects Highway 310 and then heads east for before resuming its south-easterly routing to the city of Yorkton. Communities along this stretch include Sheho, Insinger, Theodore, and Springside. From about Sheho to Springside, the highway parallels the Whitesand River. At Springside, Highway 16 intersects another north–south highway, Highway 47, which runs from the Canada–US border north to Preeceville. A statue of a sharp-tailed grouse, Saskatchewan's provincial bird, was erected in 1985 at Sheho to commemorate both the 80th anniversary of the province of Saskatchewan and the incorporation of Sheho as a village.
As the highway approaches Yorkton, it turns east to Highway 9. At that bend, Highway 16A splits off and continues south-east into Yorkton. At the north–south Highway 9, the two highways begin a long, southbound concurrency. Highway 10 also joins this concurrency for. When Highway 16 leaves the concurrency, it resumes its south-easterly routing to Saskatchewan's border with Manitoba. Attractions at Yorkton include the Western Development Museum and York Lake Regional Park. Communities along the final section of Highway 16 from Yorkton to the Manitoba border include Rokeby, Saltcoats, Bredenbury, Churchbridge, Langenburg, and Marchwell. A large Canadian Dollar Coin was erected in 1993 at Churchbridge south of the Yellowhead to commemorate Rita Swanson, the artist resident of Churchbridge whose design was chosen to mark Canada's 125th birthday in 1992. About east of Marchwell is the Manitoba border where the Yellowhead Highway continues as Manitoba Highway 16 to Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg.
History
Travel across Canada originated in the early 19th century when the Hudson's Bay Company and North West Company wanted to transport furs from the east to Fort St. James in the New Caledonia district. Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company, employed a surveyor, James Macmillan, to find a route west. James Macmillan used the Iroquois guide Pierre Bostonais to help find the most feasible path. Pierre Bostonais was nicknamed Tête Jaune, which is French for 'yellow head', due to his blonde hair. Leather was needed at Fort St. James for moccasins and mukluks. The path from Saskatchewan to British Columbia through the Rocky Mountains became known as the 'Leather Pass' or 'Leather Track' and then more commonly the 'Yellowhead'. Pierre Bostonais "has been credited with blazing the Old North-West Trail — the forerunner of the Yellowhead Highway".The beginnings of this overland route can be found in the 19th century travel along the Carlton Trail, a Red River cart dirt trail which connected Fort Garry, Fort Ellice, Fort Carlton, Fort Battleford, and Fort Pitt through a northerly route.
In Saskatchewan, cars appeared in the early 20th century. By the late 1920s, the roads were gravelled near the larger centres such as Yorkton, Saskatoon, the Battlefords, and Lloydminster. All-weather roads were developed in the 1930s, which began to depart from the surveyed township roads connecting centres directly. Roads also were constructed to allow for rain run-off, with a rounded top surface.
A larger improvement came about as a part of the industrial revolution in the 1940s following the return of the men from World War II. Following World War II, improved economic and farming factors saw an increase of taxation, and mechanized road building programs resulting in better roads. Improved highways and travel by automobile soon saw the demise of a great majority of settlements along the prairie which were lively communities in the first half of the 20th century.
November 1947 saw communities along the Yellowhead organize together with caravans and meetings to encourage the Trans-Canada Trail to build on the northern route connecting Eastern and Western Canada. The southern route, Saskatchewan's Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway, was officially opened in 1957. The northern route — the Yellowhead Highway — was officially opened on August 15, 1970.