Roads in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan, the middle of Canada's three prairie provinces, has an area of 588,276.09 square kilometres (227,134.67 sq mi) and population of 1,150,632 (according to 2016 estimates), mostly living in the southern half of the province.

Currently Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure operates over 26,000 km of highways and divided highways, over 800 bridges, 12 separate ferries, one barge. There are also municipal roads which comprise different surfaces. Asphalt concrete pavements comprise almost 9,000 km, granular pavement almost 5,000 km, non structural or thin membrane surface TMS are close to 7,000 km and finally gravel highways make up over 5, 600 km through the province. TMS roads are maintained by the provincial government department: Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation. In the northern sector, ice roads which can only be navigated in the winter months comprise another approximately 150 km of travel. Dirt roads also still exist in rural areas and would be maintained by the local resident. All in all Saskatchewan consists of over 250,000 km (160,000 mi) of roads, the highest amount of road surface compared to any other Canadian province. Roads need to be constructed for the hot summer months, as well as the frigid winter months. Saskatchewan Highways and Transportation seeks to provide an operational transportation system that ensures the safe travel of people and products within a vast province. Crack filling, snow and ice removal, pavement marking, signage, lighting and infrastructure planning. The rural municipalities care for rural roads of which 97 per cent are gravel and the rest asphalt surface which is similar to Ireland's road system.

Saskatchewan roads first began as hunting trails following the paths of animals. During the 18th and 19th centuries, fur trading posts were established, and named Red River cart trails appeared networking across Rupert's Land. The Boundary Survey Trail, The Telegraph Line Trail, Fort Pelly – Fort Ellice Trail, The Fort Qu'Appelle – Touchwood Hills Trail, Touchwood – Fort Pelly Trail, Fort Qu'Appelle – Touchwood Trail, Fort à la Corne – Cumberland House Trail, Fort à la Corne – Fort Ellice Trail, the Green Lake Trail, Fort Ellice – Fort Qu'Appelle Trail, Fort Qu'Appelle – Cypress Hills Trail, The Whoop-Up Trail, Wood Mountain Trail, the Milk River Trail, Fort Walsh – Wood Mountain Trail, Carlton Trail, and NWMP commission Trail were a few of the early trails between trading posts.

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