A major section of northbound PTH 75 from Ste. Agathe to St. Adolphe has been upgraded, bringing the entire rebuilding of this key highway linking Winnipeg with the U.S. closer to completion. This announcement was made by Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton.
“PTH 75 is an important transportation link through south central Manitoba for the economy as a major U.S. commercial trade route and for tourist traffic,” said Minister Ashton. “We continue the work on PTH 75 including major flood-proofing efforts to reconstruct two major bridges and raise PTH 75 to reduce the impact of floodwaters along the highway around Morris.”
About $154 million has been invested in PTH 75 since 2007 to improve and upgrade the highway, the minister noted. The most recent upgrades included rebuilding 12 kilometres of the existing older concrete pavement, including paving the shoulders, between PR 305 and PR 210. The reconstruction, done with an investment of $20 million, further raised the roadbed, which had already been flood-proofed to the 2009 levels, he noted.
Except for several kilometres at the U.S. border, which will be realigned to match changes on the U.S. side of the border, and a small section north of Morris, the southbound lanes have either been rebuilt or fully upgraded from Winnipeg to the border.
The northbound lanes have now also been rebuilt and upgraded, except for a 25-km stretch from St. Jean Baptiste to Aubigny, which will be done in the next five years and include further raising of the highway to handle floods, Minister Ashton said.
The stretch from St. Jean Baptiste to Morris will be the next phase of construction, followed by the stretch from Morris to Aubigny. The province will also rebuilding the Plum River Bridge on this stretch, the minister added.
The minister noted that for the 2014 and 2015 construction seasons, Manitoba has invested more than $1 billion for work on highways.
Although the annual road repair season is drawing to a close, motorists are reminded to slow down and drive safely when they see constructions signs and flaggers at the roadside. Drivers are required to reduce speeds to specific limits in construction zones under the Highway Traffic Act.
