Greg Selinger announced today the government will raise two bridges as well as sections of Highway 75 near the town of Morris to keep a critical commercial route the U.S. open during major floods.

The province has promised to raise Highway 75 to 2009 flood levels. The highway often floods, leaving Morris residents and those just outside town stuck.

"It's our life blood. It's what keeps us going," said Morris Mayor Gavin Van Der Linde.

The community relies on truck traffic to boost local business. Big rigs provide $19 billion-worth of economic activity to the U.S. That activity stops when the road is closed.

"We have a lot of restaurants, a lot of gas stations, and those pretty well shut down during that time," Van Der Linde.

The Morris River Bridge was closed 46 days during the 1997 flood. In 2009, it was closed for 35 days.

The project is split into two sections; one north of Morris and one south.

The government says engineering work will start soon to build new, higher bridges over the Morris River and Plum River. It says the bridge north of Morris is most prone to flooding. That bridge will be raised 1.5 to 2 metres. The Plum River Bridge will be raised 1 to 1.5 metres.

"It will allow us to have the equivalent opening of the road as in the U.S. on I29. If I29 is closed, were closed too", said Selinger.

The project will cost about $200 million, and create an estimated 2,200 jobs, Selinger said.

Thursday night, the province presented the findings of its hydraulic study and told residents about its plan.

The province will raise Highway 75 between 1 and 6 feet, bringing it one foot above 2009 flood levels.

Many people at the meeting were happy the highway was being raised, but one big hole in the plan caused contention.

“I don't think there's enough drainage. Because if they raise the highway when the water starts to recede, that highway acts as a dike,” said Morris resident Barbara Stevenson.

The move is drawing concern from some residents who live outside of town in low-lying areas. Mervin Dueck lives just outside Morris. He's worried there's not enough drainage.

“I don’t think they’ve taken into consideration those of us living within a couple miles of the 75," he said. Dueck says he thinks the province has miscalculated how the water flows during flooding events, and that low-level floods will create pooling around his home.

Farmers and people who live outside Morris say that flood water always flows in the same direction. They say more drainage is necessary to help water get back to the Red River.

The province did not address drainage during the presentation on Thursday.

RM of Morris Reeve Ralph Groening says he shares the same concerns, especially near the town of Aubigny. "It's a low spot in the Morris River Valley, and so water is retained, and so the concern that the residents have is that the new flood proofing project with the higher setting of the highway will retain the water and not allow for the kind of release and would impact them in that way."

Groening said he will be sending a letter to the province with suggestions for a fix.

There’s no exact timeline for when construction on the project will begin. The province still needs to draw up design plans and complete further consultation.

The province says the earliest construction could start on the first phase is 2015. It estimates the whole project will take up to six years.

- With reports by Meghan Roberts and Cheryl Holmes