Truck driver says neglected roads in northern Sask a ‘muddy show’

The 90-kilometre stretch of Highway 123 leading up to Cumberland House and its nearby Cree Nation is impassable for most vehicles due to recent spring weather, leaving the gravel road mired in deep ruts and soft spots.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the highway hotline recommended extreme caution when traveling on the road and only with the use of 4×4 vehicles. Additionally, the stretch of road from Cumberland House to the Manitoba Border is closed.

People in the area are frustrated with the state of the road, saying travel conditions are nearly impossible and trucks carrying essential supplies like food are getting stuck while essential services like ambulances can’t get through. A petition has been circulating in the community along with another petition that’s been making the rounds online.

Quinn Walsh, a heavy equipment operator and truck driver is no stranger to navigating Saskatchewan’s northern roads, and said it’s an issue of maintenance in much of northern Saskatchewan.

“There is a problem on all the northern roads, but it’s not as bad as Cumberland House,” he said.

Walsh referenced a recent trip on highway 21 headed up to Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation.

“The road was absolutely atrocious,” he said, adding that he could see gravel that’s fallen off the road into the ditch from cars driving by.

“The grader operators are supposed to pull that gravel back up onto the road and spread it out, and pack it down evenly, so it doesn’t turn into a muddy show like that.”

Walsh said these muddy conditions pose a challenge when he’s doing his job.

“(When) I’m carrying a lot of weight trying to go up a hill, my wheels are spinning, I’m afraid of sliding backwards down into the ditch.”

As a heavy equipment operator, he explained having an aggregate on top of the road to ensure the road doesn’t turn muddy is crucial in maintaining safe road conditions.

While weather factors into road conditions, Walsh said it wouldn’t be as big of an issue if roads were properly maintained.

“The gravel roads are always going to be a problem with snow and rain and sleet,” he said. “Sometimes I feel safer driving on a gravel road in winter than on a highway (like that) in Saskatchewan.”

A statement from Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways acknowledged the challenges drivers will face on the highway until it dries out, and said it will be working with trucking companies to ensure key supplies like food and fuel can reach Cumberland House.

The ministry said it placed about 15 truck loads of rock material to strengthen a 3 km stretch of road south of the community earlier this month.

“During this construction season, the ministry plans to invest an estimated $3.3 million to improve Highway 123 south of Cumberland House,” the statement read.