Briercrest-area farmer calls for major repairs to Highway 339

A farmer near Briercrest is raising safety concerns about the deteriorating condition of Saskatchewan Highway 339, saying the road has become increasingly dangerous for motorists, farmers and emergency responders.

Nick Cornea, who farms north of Briercrest, is calling on the provincial government to address what he described as years of neglect along the highway.

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Cornea said deep ruts, potholes and uneven road surfaces have made travelling the route difficult, particularly for those operating heavy trucks and agricultural equipment.

“The current state of the highway, I would say, is violently dangerous,” Cornea said.

“When you’re in a half-ton vehicle, you’re getting tossed around side to side. You’re dodging potholes and everything like that. You get in a semi or farm equipment and stuff like that, it’s terrible. It’s flat-out dangerous.”

He said the condition of the road has forced drivers to reduce their speed significantly, with the uneven surface creating additional challenges for trucks hauling heavy loads.

“The front trailer will be going one way, the back trailer is going another way. It’s just whipping back and forth,” he said.

Concerns extend to emergency response times

Beyond the challenges everyday motorists face on the route, Cornea said he is particularly concerned about the impact the highway’s condition could have on emergency medical services travelling to communities such as Avonlea.

He said ambulances responding from Moose Jaw or Regina must navigate the same deteriorating road conditions, potentially adding time to an already lengthy trip.

“The EMS comes from Regina or Moose Jaw to service Avonlea, as they have a retirement home there, and they can’t do more than 40 kilometres an hour down that road to get there,” Cornea said.

Cornea said he has witnessed ambulances pulling over along the highway, which he believes is related to the rough road conditions.

“Now you’re waiting an hour for them to come out there to treat you, you know, triage you in the field, and then another hour or more coming back,” he said. “Then they have to stop another few miles down the road because their equipment doesn’t work properly on that highway with it bouncing.”

Deep ruts highlight deteriorating conditions

To demonstrate the severity of the road’s deterioration, Cornea said he recently measured a depression in the highway.

He said the location was selected at random, rather than choosing a particularly damaged section of roadway.

“I put a bar across the road from one side to the other of one of the depressions, and it was six and a half inches deep,” Cornea said.

Cornea said the uneven surface was also evident when he parked his truck along the roadside.

“I could put my hand under the outside wheels of my truck,” he said. “There was that big of a gap.”

Cornea said the constant bouncing and jolting have also taken a physical toll on him after long days operating farm equipment and hauling grain.

“I come home from combining, and I have to go sit in a hot tub for 20 minutes just to decompress my spine and my body because it is just jolted and whipped side to side,” he said. “You can’t even put your lunch kit on the seat of your truck because it’ll fall off.”

Farmer frustrated with lack of progress

Cornea said he has been working to bring the highway’s condition to the attention of provincial officials, including Lumsden-Morse MLA Blaine McLeod.

While he credited McLeod with providing updates, Cornea said his attempts to speak directly with the minister of highways, Kim Gartner, have been unsuccessful.

Cornea said he has repeatedly contacted the minister’s office and offered to take provincial officials for a ride in his semi to demonstrate the conditions.

“A good half a dozen to a dozen times asking him to call me back, and I’ve yet to have a phone call back from Minister Kim Gartner,” Cornea said.

He also pointed to previous discussions involving local rural municipalities and former provincial highways officials about a potential pilot project aiming to improve the route.

According to Cornea, the RMs of Redburn and Pense had been involved in discussions about testing different road materials, with significant preliminary work undertaken before changes in provincial leadership stalled progress.

He estimated the municipalities spent between $50,000 and $100,000 on the initiative.

Cornea said repeated changes in the highways portfolio have made it difficult to maintain momentum.

“How do you make any progress in this battle when it’s a new person in there every six months?” he asked.

The status of those earlier discussions and the province’s current plans for Highway 339 have not been independently confirmed.

Community support growing

Despite his frustrations, Cornea said he was encouraged by the support he has received from other residents, businesses and rural municipalities affected by the highway.

He said RM of Redburn Reeve Doug Thul has been supportive, while representatives from neighbouring municipalities have also expressed an interest in helping.

Cornea said he believes the deteriorating road is affecting more than transportation safety, with some businesses in Briercrest potentially losing customers because motorists are reluctant to travel the bumpy route.

“People aren’t driving to Briercrest to do stuff as much anymore because it’s just nobody likes going down that road,” he said.

To build support, Cornea started a Facebook group where residents can share their experiences, photographs of damaged vehicles and updates on efforts to secure improvements.

He said he hopes the group will encourage more people who regularly travel Highway 339 to become involved.

Cornea said he is grateful for those who have already offered assistance and hopes continued public pressure will lead to meaningful action on the highway.

For now, he intends to keep advocating for improvements to a road he believes has become a serious safety concern for the surrounding communities.

Government response

The Ministry of Highways sent the following email response:

“We recognize the concerns raised by residents and motorists in the Avonlea area, and we take those concerns seriously.

“Over the past five years, our government has invested more than $1.6 million on Highway 339, with an average of $260,000 annually in this corridor to support ongoing maintenance and improvements.

“In addition to these investments, the Ministry of Highways has undertaken technical evaluations to determine which approaches are most effective in improving road conditions.

“We understand that residents want safe and reliable highways, and we recognize that more work is needed.

“That is why our ministry continues to monitor road conditions, undertake maintenance and evaluate opportunities for future improvements.”