Two possible routes to twin McGillivray available for public feedback

Two distinct options are on the table to improve traffic flows for McGillivray Boulevard in the RM of Macdonald.

Last year, the province announced plans to twin the highway because of increased traffic and development. Now those routes have been released to get public feedback.

“I can’t quantify it with numbers, but it’s extremely busy,” said Brad Erb, the reeve of the RM of Macdonald.

Erb said he wants to see the road twinned.

“Our emergency services would indicate that there’s a lot more safety issues there as well.”

Two very different alignments have been released for consideration.

The first would see the boulevard twinned with a four-lane divided highway from Brady Road, following the current alignment for the most part toward the Perimeter Highway near Oak Bluff.

A second option would also see four lanes divided but instead, Abinojii Mikanah at Route 90 would be extended meeting up with McGillivray at Road 8E.

Erb said his council has not taken a position on either route but noted they were surprised by the second option.

“We did not anticipate that.”

Under that alternative, Abinojii Mikanah would run between Bridgwater in Waverley West and Whyte Ridge.

“There’s a lot of space. There’s a lot that can be done for noise attenuation and reducing the noise. I don’t think that’s going to be a big concern,” said Winnipeg Coun. Janice Lukes.

Lukes said the intersection at Abinojii Mikanah and Route 90 can be a bottleneck for people coming out of Waverley West.

She feels an extension could be an opportunity to revamp the current setup.

No matter which route is chosen, she questions who would pay for the infrastructure on the city’s side of the equation.

“It’s great the province wants to do upgrades, but there’s also the impact on the city that has to be considered.”

The functional design process is expected to take 18 months, with the chosen route released this summer.