Mail delays, long detours plague northern Sask. communities after washouts

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Hansen said residents have told her the lack of mail delivery has also affected access to medication.

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Roadway options are limited in the Northern Village of Pinehouse. (Image Credit: Submitted/Shana Hansen)

Since deliveries can’t go directly from La Ronge to Pinehouse on Hwy 165, drivers would be forced to go through Beauval, which adds an extra three hours to the trip.

Mike Bell, chief operations officer and vice-president of La Ronge EMS, said washouts and road closures have affected emergency response times in the region.

“We have one major road closure on Highway 165 to Pinehouse due to the bridge, and we don’t have direct access by ground and must fly into Pinehouse,” Bell said.

According to Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Highways, a contractor has been secured to install a temporary structure over the Smoothstone River.

Construction crews began work last week on road approaches connecting the existing highway to the temporary bridge site.

The ministry said the temporary bridge is expected to be completed by the end of the month, weather permitting. The structure will allow single-lane traffic only.

In the meantime, runoff continues to move rapidly through the area.

Smoothstone River flows into the Churchill River system. According to the Water Security Agency, the discharge readings of the Churchill River near Patuanak are 105 cubic metres per second, meaning more than 100,000 litres of water is moving downstream every second.

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panews@pattisonmedia.com