The current status of construction along the Perimeter Highway
Government officials toured the ongoing construction happening on the South Perimeter Highway at St. Mary's Monday morning.
Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk said a lot of progress has been made since construction started in this area in the spring.
"We want to make sure we invest in our highways, especially the Perimeter Highway, when it comes to moving traffic through this corridor, which is going to be very important," said Piwniuk. "The Trans-Canada corridor from east to west, from Ontario to Saskatchewan and also Highway 75, this is going to give us access to international markets to the U.S., national markets to the east and west of us."
The other important aspect of this construction project, according to Piwniuk, is the safety component, noting the work is removing traffic lights at the intersection and switching to interchanges, which will lead to more free-flowing traffic.
"So this interchange is going to be a 30-year process where there are two phases. The first phase is going to be a four-lane highway which will actually bring traffic over the Perimeter Highway on St. Mary's and then have two roundabouts on either side to bring all the routes together."
He noted the highway will eventually become a six-lane highway and he said the province will be able to change the area to adjust to Winnipeg's growth.
The St. Mary's work is just one of several improvements happening on the Perimeter Highway and the province noted a functional design study will be happening on the North Perimeter, which is similar to one that happened in 2020 for the South Perimeter.
"(The study) will outline a staged approach for major changes to the Perimeter Highway. This will allow for changes that are appropriate for current traffic levels and that can accommodate future upgrades as traffic volumes increase," the province said in a news release.
The province also provided details on the work that has been completed, is underway and has been tendered on the Perimeter in 2022.
It includes:
· extending the west service road south to PTH 190;
· extending the westbound bypass lane on Provincial Road (PR) 221 to deal with greater traffic volumes;
· extending Aimes Road to St. Anne's Road;
· widening PTH 6 to four lanes from PTH 101 to the Prairie Dog Central railway tracks and adding passing lanes further north;
· closing the medians and access to PTH 101 at Road 63N;
· closing an uncontrolled approach near PR 330;
· constructing a roundabout at the intersection of PTH 6 and PR 236;
· constructing a new right turn lane at PR 330;
· reconstructing the north service road between King Edward and Ritchie streets;
· paving near the Pembina Highway interchange;
· resurfacing sections of PTH 100 between PTH 3 and Portage Avenue;
· upgrading and paving the north service road from PR 236 to Lilyfield Road and from PR 409 to east of Dasmesh School to accommodate heavy commercial loading; and
· continued construction of the new interchange at St. Mary's Road.
The government is also reminding drivers who use the Perimeter Highway should expect delays and are told to drive with caution.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.