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 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.