REGINA — Road construction is not usually associated with the pit of winter, but the Ministry of Highways is alerting the public to some important projects that are underway.
Those are bridge construction projects, which are among the limited number of projects that the highways ministry can proceed with year-round.
At a media event on Thursday at Highway Hotline’s operational centre in Regina, Highways Minister Kim Gartner spoke about the more than $78 million in bridge projects that are being done between late fall and into this coming spring.
Among them, according to a ministry news release, are a $650,000 project in the Carlyle area northeast of Estevan to replace concrete girders and complete abutment repairs on the Highway 13 bridge over Moose Mountain Creek; a $2.7 million project in the Prairie River area east of Tisdale to replace a failed culvert with a new bridge on Highway 3, which started in mid-November and opened to two-way traffic in January; and $150,000 in repairs to pier caps on the Highway 925 bridge over the Dillon River in the northwest, which started in December 2025 and are expected to be complete by the end of January 2026 or early February 2026.
Work was also completed on a $2 million project to replace two bridges on the Leroy access road.
Gartner also pointed to projects near La Ronge and north of Prince Albert. Those include an estimated $15.8 million project to replace the Highway 2 bridge over the Montreal River between the Village of Air Ronge and the Town of La Ronge, which officially opened to two-way traffic on Nov. 19, 2025, as well as the $1.2 million project to replace the Highway 912 bridge over Stuart Creek at East Trout Lake and an estimated $1.2 million project to replace the Highway 935 bridge over Morin Creek at Morin Lake.
There is also the $600,000 project to replace a Highway 927 bridge lost to forest fires in the summer of 2025, which was completed last fall, and an estimated $11.1 million project to replace the two Beaver River bridges on Highway 165, which opened to traffic at the end of October.
A $400,000 project for repairs to the bridge on Highway 3 over the Red Deer River, about 14 kilometres east of Hudson Bay, is expected to begin by February.
Last, but far from least, is the $33.7 million Moose Jaw overpass project that began in 2025 to raise the height of Highway 2 over the Trans-Canada Highway at Moose Jaw.
That project is expected to resume in the spring. Frederick Willis, senior bridge project manager with the Ministry of Highways, said they expect to get started on that in late March or early April and expect it to be completed in October, subject to weather.
Most other highways projects, such as major grading and earthwork or paving work, require warmer temperatures in order to be completed. Willis explained why bridge work is able to continue during the winter months.
“The bridges you see in the wintertime are generally smaller span modular bridges where we use precast components that we can fabricate in advance, and then we can assemble them on site, like a LEGO set essentially,” said Willis.
“Those projects we choose in the winter are usually over a body of water. We have less challenges with fish and migratory birds and wildlife. And it’s also got less earth work involved and less fresh concrete components so we don’t have to worry about the winter being an impact for.”
Minister Gartner also said the bridge work during the winter lowers traffic impacts on farming activities, such as spring seeding and fall harvest.
He reminded motorists that even though this is not the typical summer road construction season, they should be aware of bridge construction work happening.
“As you check the Highway Hotline this winter be mindful to keep your eye out for potential bridge projects," Gartner said. "We want to keep everyone and get them home safely. And although winter is a fact of life in our province, the Ministry of Highways builds bridges to get over it and make Saskatchewan a better place."
