Sask. community eager to have access road back

For more than a month, the small community of Cole Bay has been without its main link to the rest of the province.

Highway 903, between the hamlet and Meadow Lake, has been impassable since late July when heavy rain caused a section to collapse.

Residents like Alexander MacLean said not having the highway has meant longer and costlier trips to Meadow Lake for shopping and medical appointments.

MacLean said having to detour onto Highway 155 adds more than two hours to a round trip.

“It really is a big deal. It makes it more difficult to get access to specialists who typically would visit our school from Saskatoon,” MacLean said.

The local teacher said it has taken a tole on all aspects of life in the community, which is located on Canoe Lake, 120 kilometres north of Meadow Lake.

“If you are unemployed, a single parent or have a lower-paying job, I can’t imagine having enough money,” MacLean said.

“It’s not just a road, it’s access. Access in the north is everything.”

The Ministry of Highways says a temporary crossing is expected to be open by the middle of the month.

“We certainly empathize with people who use this highway. We initially thought it would open this week, but draining the site has been more difficult than anticipated so we expect to have it open by the end of next week, ” said ministry spokesperson David Horth.

The temporary patch will allow light vehicles to pass until the washout is repaired.

Horth said the new design will have four culverts instead of one. He said the ministry is in the process of tendering the project and hopes to see it completed before freeze up.

Meanwhile, MacLean said the community would like to see the road one day paved, but Horth said that isn’t being considered.