Passing lanes are coming on a stretch of highway that many consider to be dangerous.

The provincial government announced Thursday that five sets of passing lanes are going to be constructed on Highway 39 between Estevan and Weyburn.

Highways Minister Greg Ottenbreit says another highway that has had passing lanes built has had many positives. “Basically between Fort Qu’appelle to Regina, so it’s a road I travel very often on my way into Regina from Yorkton. What you find is, what happened in the past is people getting impatient, probably passing when they shouldn’t, taking chances. They know the passing lanes are coming, they are well marked and they’ll have a little bit of patience.”

Ottenbreit says passing lanes are something which is very beneficial for many. “We found passing lanes are a very effective way of number one increasing safety on the roadways, but also number two increasing traffic flow.”

The cost of the project is just over $53-million.

Ottenbreit is hoping all work will be completed by the summer of 2021. It also includes shoulder widening, resurfacing and culvert replacements.