Bridges and overpasses, which accounted for 9% of all public assets in Saskatchewan in 2007, were younger relative to the national average. The average age of this asset has followed a general downward trend from 1961 to the late 1980s. It then increased slowly to a high of 26.0 years in 2003 and then started lessening sharply to 23.3 years in 2007, a value which stands in the historic low range for this province. This recent lessening in age was fuelled by strong investments. The gross value of this asset grew 2.1% on average each year from 2001 to 2007, the highest average annual growth, along with Newfoundland and Labrador, among the provinces.
As a percentage of estimated useful life, this investment was newer than the national average in 2007. Bridges and overpasses in the province had passed 54% of their estimated life, compared to the national average of 57%. This is an historic turnaround because bridges in Saskatchewan had never been younger than the national average until 2006.