Saskatchewan Highway 956
Highway 956, also known as the Garson Lake Road, is a provincial highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It runs from the Alberta border until Saskatchewan [Highway 155|Highway 155]. It is about.
Highway 956 is meant to connect the community of La Loche to Fort McMurray, Alberta. Beyond the Alberta border, the same route continues west as the 65-km La Loche Winter Trail winter road to Alberta Highway 881, about south of Anzac, Alberta and about south of Fort McMurray.
History
- Construction began in 1986 and completed in 1999.
- In 1999, as part of the Saskatchewan provincial budget, a project was begun to gravel of Highway 956.
- In September 2005, to celebrate the centennials of Saskatchewan and Alberta, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert and Alberta Premier Ralph Klein announced a project costing $45 million to connect La Loche and Fort McMurray with an all-season road. The premiers explained that this would create economic and recreational opportunities, as well as improved access to services and schools.
- A crushing project and two clearing projects had been initiated by the time the 2006–07 Saskatchewan Mid-Year Report was released. They were expected to be completed by the end of 2006.
- By May 2006, work began on improving Highway 956 as a joint project by the Alberta and Saskatchewan governments to connect La Loche and Fort McMurray.
- By 2008, 44 of 53 kilometres of Garson Lake Road were completed.
- August 2023, construction began on the final to the Alberta border.