North end: Hwy 11 at Saskatoon | Major cities Saskatoon | |
South end: Hwy 44 near Lake Diefenbaker | ||
Highway 219 is a secondary highway in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, running from Saskatoon south to the vicinity of the Gardiner Dam development and the north end of Lake Diefenbaker.
The highway starts as Lorne Avenue within Saskatoon and serves as a direct link to the city's downtown core for residents in bedroom communities just beyond the city limits such as Furdale and Grasswood, as well as for inner-city residents. Otherwise, Highway 219 passes through no major communities en route to the dam, although it does pass just to the east of the town of Outlook. The only other community on the highway is the hamlet of Glenside, a 20-minute drive south of Highway 15.
The province and First Nations groups are looking at upgrading the highway, which is reportedly in need of major repairs, in the near future to improve access to the Dakota Dunes Casino located several kilometres south of Saskatoon off Hwy. 219 that opened in 2007.
The Government of Canada has agreed to contribute $20 million for two new interchanges in Saskatoon, one of them being at the SK Hwy 219 / Lorne Ave intersection with Circle Drive. This is part of the Asia-Pacific Gateway and Corridor Initiative to improve access to the Canadian National Railway's intermodal freight terminal thereby increasing Asia-Pacific trade. The interchange, part of the final phase of the Circle Drive South extension, was completed in 2013.