Starting this year, construction will start on realigning and raising MB hwy 75 through Morris.
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/fixes-for-hwy-75near-morris-419343164.html
Fixes planned for Hwy. 75 near Morris
Flood-proofing scheduled
The Pallister government is going to straighten out some serious curves in Highway 75 immediately south of Morris and also flood-proof the highway in the Morris area by building it higher. Two other major components of a study on ways to improve that crowded portion of the highway are the elimination of traffic lights and rural access roads on the south Perimeter. Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen told reporters Wednesday the province will add several feet to the height of Highway 75 around Morris.
"You don’t have to close 75 — it will be flood-proof," he said.
"We’re going to redo the dike so the highway goes over the dike and down into Morris."
The multi-year project begins in 2017-18 with $21 million worth of work. Already, the minister noted, "there’s a huge pile of dirt there."
The northbound lanes that are closer to the Red River will be built up from St. Jean to Morris by 2020, and the section from Morris to Aubigny will follow when that work is done. Pedersen said that everyone who drives Highway 75 is familiar with curves south of town. The project will straighten them out both northbound and southbound, he said.
"There’s a number of curves coming in — we’re going to straighten out a couple of the curves," he said.
Cabinet last week approved the expropriation of two unspecified properties south of Morris whose owners had declined to sell. Two other parcels of land had been acquired for the project, the order-in-council said. Pedersen told reporters his department spent less than expected on highways in the past year, but explained that "part of that was the timing of the projects."
Infrastructure will spend $502 million on highways this year, and $500 million a year for the next four years, the minister said.
"We keep it at a steady rate."
Realigning a bunch of curves to make 75 still go through the town (as a low speed city street), the cheaper alternative to simply bypassing the town (which has been talked about in the past and should have been done). Sounds like the Manitoba way! Other than Morris and St Norbert, 75 is perfectly fine the way it is (not a freeway, AADT simply doesn't justify it).
His focus is on the needs on the south Perimeter: "Anyone who’s driven the south Perimeter knows it’s needing a complete rebuild."
"We’re doing a study on the south Perimeter. The entire study is about access, about overpasses so we can remove the traffic lights," and deal with safety issues over the rural roads which access the Perimeter, he said. "There’s a number of rural access roads on a high-speed interchange."
The province would look at St. Norbert as part of the study, but the south Perimeter is the priority, Pedersen said.
Focusing on the south Perimeter should be the priority IMO. As bad as 75 is through St Norbert, the Perimeter is much worse. AADT of close to 25000 in places with way too many traffic lights.
Houses line the northern flank of the Perimeter from (soon to be) Brady Road to St. Annes Road (some of which weren't there 10 years ago). Diamonds at McGillivray and St, Anne's should help as well as a Parclo A4 at St Mary's (with priority on the latter two). Realign Waverley to meet Kenaston at a light which would be upgraded
once if the St Norbert bypass was ever built. Close off access from Perimeter westbound to PTH 2.
Sadly, all of this stuff has, again been something that has been talked about here for years, but never done. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the same case.
In terms of new highway spending, Centreport (the current part of PTH 190; built just a few years ago) was a waste of money IMO and should have been used for the Headingley bypass (Highway 1 is pretty bad through that stretch as well). Now that project probably isn't happening at all, leaving a stub at the end of the current route.
I could go on and on about roads here and upgrades to roads surrounding Winnipeg (as well as inside the city). The stuff above is the most important though.
Author
Topic: Western Canada Road Projects (Read 30480 times)