Saskatchewan Highway 32 Explained

Province:	SK
Type:	Hwy
Route:	32
Photo Width:	250
Length Km:	141.5
Length Round:	1
Direction A:	West
Direction B:	East
Terminus A:	in Leader
Junction:	in Cabri
Terminus B:	near Swift Current
Rural Municipalities:	Happyland, Clinworth, Miry Creek, Riverside, Saskatchewan Landing, Swift Current
Previous Type:	Hwy
Previous Route:	31
Next Type:	Hwy
Next Route:	33

Highway 32 is a provincial highway in the south-western portion of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan connecting Highway 21 at Leader and Highway 1 (TCH) west of Swift Current. Highways that intersect Highway 32 include 649 at Lemsford, 738 at Abbey, 37 and 738 at Cabri, 632 at Pennant, 332 near Cantuar, and 728 near Highway 1. It is about long.

By the early to mid-2000s, the condition of Highway 32 had deteriorated so badly that ambulances were avoiding it and a 2007 nude calendar was created featuring local citizens and the highway's potholes. The calendar gained world-wide attention and helped spur the highway's rebuilding.^[1]

History

The first travel in this area was by foot, two-wheeled ox carts and horse-drawn freight wagons using trails on the sod. The first train arrived in Lancer in 1913. The late 1920s and 1930s saw the automobile arrive to a few families in the area.^[2]

Travel route

Highway 32 begins from Highway 21 at the south end of Leader^[3] and travels in a south-east direction to Highway 1 west of Swift Current. To the north of the highway is the South Saskatchewan River and to the south are the Great Sand Hills. For its entire length, the highway follows the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR).

South-east of Leader, Highway 32 provides access to Leader Airport,^[4] Prelate, and Sceptre. Sceptre is home to the Great Sandhills Museum, a metal wheat sculpture, and is the gateway to the Great Sand Hills.^[5] Travelling east then south-east from Sceptre, Highway 32 provides access to the ghost towns of Lemsford,^[6] Portreeve,^[7] Shackleton,^[8] and Battrum.^[9] Also along that stretch of highway are the communities of Lancer, which has the Lancer museum and the 21feet Chokecherry Cluster sculpture,^[10] Abbey,^[11] and Cabri. Cabri is located at the junction of Highway 32 and Highway 37 and features oversized goose, antelope, and wheat sculptures.^[12] Pennant, Success, and Cantuar are the final three stops on Highway 32 before it terminates at Highway 1 about west of Swift Current.

Maintenance and upgrades

Highway 32 had become infamous for its extremely poor condition, which can primarily be attributed to a substandard pavement design (thin membrane surface (TMS)) and claims of lack of maintenance. Sections of the highway were reverted to gravel and the condition of the route was so bad that ambulances were avoiding it as much as possible.

In 2006, to bring attention to the poor condition of the highway, 12 people — eleven men and one woman — from Leader produced a humorous, nude 2007 calendar. The calendar garnered world-wide attention and sold 3,000 copies raising $40,000 for a new roof on Leader's community hall. Also in 2006, bumper stickers were being sold that read, "I survived Sask Hwy 32". On 17 May 2006, Southwest TV News produced a three-part series regarding the highway and its road condition. A Letter of understanding (LOU) was signed by 22 south-west towns, municipalities, and government offices.^[13]

In 2006, in response to public outcry over poor road conditions around the province, NDP Highways Minister Eldon Lautermilch said that "Saskatchewan can't afford the cost of maintaining all its roads".^[14] In regards to Highway 32, he said a "nude calendar won't solve the problem" and that "they're very creative people". It was not until a change of government to the Saskatchewan Party in 2007 that there was a "change in attitude" towards fixing Highway 32. By 2010, much of the highway had been rebuilt.^{[15] [16]}

Significant upgrades to Highway 32 include:

• The winter of 2000 saw resurfaced from west of Cabri to east of Shackleton^[17]
• In 2001, summer crews resurfaced from west of Cabri westward for a further . This repair allowed heavier truck loads on the route.^[18]
• In 2005, were resurfaced. Construction work began on Highway 32 at the entrance to Success and continued west for . Wheel ruts and surface deterioration were levelled and filled and a microsurface treatment was put into place to restore resistance to skidding.^[19]
• In 2006, of Highway 32 were converted to a gravel road to alleviate the asphalt surface potholes. Residents lobbying for highway repairs published a "Pothole of the Month" calendar, "I Survived Highway 32" bumper stickers, and a billboard was erected on the roadside.^[20] The Leader ambulance had to travel another route which was a -hour longer to get to the Regional Hospital in Swift Current.^[21]
• From the south-west to the north-east of Cabri, of the highway was resurfaced in the summer of 2007 as part of Phase I Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure's 2008 Tender Release.^[22]
• At a cost of $31.8 million, the stretch of the highway between Shackleton and Prelate was upgraded from thin membrane surface (TMS) road to a fully structural paved road designed for full regular highway traffic. This work started in May 2009 and was completed by October 2010.^{[23] [24]}
• In 2022, of highway was resurfaced beginning just west of Success^[25]

Major intersections

From west to east:^[26]

See also

• Transportation in Saskatchewan
• Roads in Saskatchewan

Notes and References

1. Web site: Highway 32 Rebuilt from Rough Road to Smooth Highway . Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 30 August 2024.
2. Web site: Miry Creek Area History Book Committee . Our Roots / Nos Racines University of Calgary, Université Laval . Bridging the centuries: Shackleton, Abbey, Lancer, Portreeve. Vol. 1 . 1990 .
3. Web site: South - Leader - Hwys 21, 32 . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 30 August 2024.
4. Web site: Airport . Leader . Town of Leader . 30 August 2024.
5. Web site: The Great Sandhills Museum - Sceptre, Saskatchewan, Canada . 2008-01-18.
6. Web site: Ghost Towns Canada - Lemsford Saskatchewan . All Enthusiast, Inc. . 2006 . 2008-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080115044318/http://www.ghosttownscanada.ca/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/645 . 2008-01-15 . dead .
7. Web site: Ghost Towns Canada - Portreeve Saskatchewan . All Enthusiast, Inc. . 2006 . 2008-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080115044501/http://www.ghosttownscanada.ca/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/696 . 2008-01-15 . dead .
8. Web site: Ghost Towns Canada - Shackleton Saskatchewan Ghost Town . All Enthusiast, Inc. . 2006 . 2008-01-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080413095336/http://www.ghosttownscanada.ca/gallery/showphoto.php/photo/131/cat/548 . 2008-04-13 . dead .
9. Web site: Ghost Towns Canada - Battrum Saskatchewan Ghost Town . All Enthusiast, Inc. . 2006 . 2008-01-18 .
10. Web site: South - Lancer - Hwy 32 . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 28 August 2024.
11. Web site: South - Abbey - Hwy 32 . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 28 August 2024.
12. Web site: South - Cabri - Hwys 32, 37 . Tourism Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . 28 August 2024.
13. Web site: Highway 32, the forgotten highway . Southwest TV News - Swift Current - Saskatchewan - hwy32 . 2008-01-18.
14. Web site: June 12, 2006 . Highway network not sustainable, minister says . 2008-01-18 . CBC.
15. News: Graham . Jennifer . The naked truth about potholes . 30 August 2024 . The Globe and Mail . The Globe and Mail Inc. . 29 November 2006.
16. News: Nude calendar stunt helps pave Sask. highway . 30 August 2024 . CBC.ca . CBC/Radio-Canada . 5 November 2010.
17. Web site: Winter Tender Schedule For Southern Highways - Government of Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . November 14, 2000 . 2008-01-18.
18. Web site: Resurfacing On Highway 32 West Of Cabri - Government of Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . February 19, 2001 . 2008-01-18.
19. Web site: Improving Highways In West Central Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . June 2005 . 2008-01-18.
20. Web site: Marshall . Aasa . Hope for Highway 32 . Prairie Post . mooseworld inc. . November 30, 2007 . 2008-01-18.
21. Web site: Wieler . Jordi . Frustrations over Highway #32 channeled into action . Southwest Booster . mooseworld inc. . November 30, 2007 . 2008-01-18.
22. Web site: The Southwest Booster: Rural . The Southwest Booster . A division of Transcontinental Media Inc. . 2007-12-20 . 2008-01-18 .
23. Web site: Highway 32 Rebuilt From Rough Road To Smooth Highway - Government of Saskatchewan . Government of Saskatchewan . November 5, 2010 . 2011-01-24.
24. News: Highway 32 Fix-Up . 30 August 2024 . Swift Current Online . SwiftCurrentOnline . 6 November 2010.
25. News: Zammit . David . Significant improvement underway for Highway 32 . 30 August 2024 . Swift Current Online . SwiftCurrentOnline . 23 September 2022.
26. MapArt . Peter Heiler . 2007 . Saskatchewan Road Atlas . 1:540,000 . Oshawa, ON . Peter Heiler Ltd . 38-39 . 1-55368-020-0 . 2007 .