Work is now complete on Airport Road and is therefore likely to produce noticeably less dust for residents of North Weyburn.

“We contracted a company from Alberta who actually provided a product that is a dust-suppressant and stabilizer, a blend of different products that you incorporate into the surface of the road, so it'll make a hard surface and hopefully a dust-free surface,” said Reeve for the R.M of Weyburn, Carmen Sterling.

The compound used is MG30, a non-corrosive mineral compound product that acts as a clay-enhancer in sandy conditions.

“We started by applying a good amount of gravel, and then a remix unit came in and remixed the top eight inches and incorporated the product into the road and ran packers to get a firm top on it and so hopefully we’ve got some good dust-suppressant and stabilization properties once it’s finally firmed up here,” she explained.

Like any new road, things will take time to settle. For now, drivers may notice the road isn’t quite as firm as it will eventually be.

“Although it's been packed and has the packers running over it, it actually will take a couple of weeks for it to fully firm up and get to it's final state,” she said. “It takes some time for that product to bind that material together and get that hard surface where we want it at.”

The benefits of the project will be noticeable.

“There's a number of people who live out in the hamlet, and there's a significant amount of traffic that uses the airport this time of year, given with the crop-spraying, aerial spraying that happens,” explained Sterling. “And then also we've got a couple of businesses out there who would have traffic as well, so some on that particular road would experience a higher amount of dust.”

She added there were also some pothole challenges on the road with the previous remix that had been done in the past, noting that the remixed compound should also eliminate the pothole issue on Airport Road.