Roads in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan, the middle of Canada's three prairie provinces, has an area of 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 residents. All in all, Saskatchewan consists of over of roads, the highest length 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