The PTH 23 bridge over the Red River on the east side of Morris is now open to traffic following a major rebuild that will extend its life and help keep this important route open during major floods. This announcement was made by Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton.
“The $32-million investment in the PTH 23 bridge has created a sturdier structure that will extend its life by another 40 years,” said Minister Ashton. “When upgrades to the approach roads to the bridge are completed next summer, PTH 23 will be higher near the dike so it will no longer be necessary to temporarily raise the road during larger floods.”
Minister Ashton noted the bridge is a lifeline for the town of Morris during major floods. PTH 23 also serves as an important connection for farmers, especially during seeding and harvest seasons. As well, PTH 23 is used by commercial trucks as an important east-west route across the southern part of the province.
The bridge deck was replaced with a new system of precast concrete deck panels and the steel girders have been strengthened. The riverbank slopes were also stabilized to prevent further movement and stress on the bridge piers. The bridge was originally built in 1968 and the improvements include:
- a new protected sidewalk,
- a new 34-ft. wide deck,
- slope stabilization,
- steel girder strengthening and recoating,
- concrete pier and abutment repairs,
- new concrete bridge barriers, and
- approach roadway works.
When all the work associated with the bridge is completed next summer, it will be one of the province’s ‘smart bridges’ and able to keep engineers informed of its structural health via a monitoring system installed in the new concrete deck.
“We released the list of upcoming core infrastructure projects a month early to give the construction industry a head start as they gear up to build and repair highways, roads and bridges across the province in 2015,” said Minister Ashton. “Manitobans will see many road and bridge improvement projects underway or in completion across the province as part of our five-year, $5.5-billion core infrastructure plan, which is supported with the one-cent-on-the-dollar PST increase. The Conference Board of Canada has projected this plan will create 58,900 jobs over five years, boost the economy by $6.3 billion and boost exports by $5.4 billion.”
The minister also noted that two major bridge rehabilitation projects on the south Perimeter Highway, one at Pembina Highway (PTH 100 at PTH 75) and the other at Fermor Avenue (PTH 100 at PTH 1), will soon be complete and will improve traffic flow and safety for motorists and commercial vehicles. These projects are part of major plans for the southwest Perimeter Highway that tie into the overall plan that includes upgrading PTH 75 to interstate standards and the opening of PTH 190 through CentrePort Canada Way, Minister Ashton said.
