The Manitoba government has started the functional design study to twin a section of Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 3 beginning 1.6 kilometres east of PTH 100 to the city of Winnipeg limit, Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk announced here today.
“Twinning this busy section of the highway will offer an improved level of service to commuters, travellers and commercial vehicles,” said Piwniuk. “We remain firmly committed to critical infrastructure investments that deliver enhanced safety, ease of travel, and support the movement of goods and services across Manitoba.”
The Rural Municipality of Macdonald has seen significant development in recent years, contributing to higher traffic volumes between the rural municipality and Winnipeg. Reconstruction and twinning is necessary to account for increased volume, enable continued development and reduce traffic delays along a key economic route in southwest Manitoba.
The scope of the project includes a functional design study, land acquisition and utility relocation as required, intersection analysis and the reconstruction of PTH 3 to a four-lane divided highway from a two-lane undivided highway. Eventual construction work will include grading, placement of granular material and bituminous pavement, and drainage design.
To support the functional design study, a public and stakeholder consultation program was developed and is expected to run from February 2023 to May 2024 and include three phases of engagement, as follows:
phase one: stakeholder identification – completed in May 2023;
phase two: present design alternatives – planned for October 2023; and
phase three and EngageMB virtual event to present preferred design alternatives – planned for May 2024.
“The announcement of these significant upgrades to this critical infrastructure is welcome news for our community residents and businesses. The added public safety they will experience in their daily commutes is immeasurable,” said Reeve Brad Erb, RM of Macdonald. “This investment as well will result in great economic benefit to our community and the region in general.”
The Manitoba government has also started a refined design of the new diamond interchange at PTH 3 (McGillivray Boulevard) and PTH 100 to replace the existing at-grade signalized intersection. This diamond interchange project was included in the 2020 South Perimeter Highway Design Study and is part of the Winnipeg One Million Perimeter Freeway Initiative.
As Winnipeg approaches a population of one million, the surrounding area is expected to become further developed and will see increased traffic at this intersection. This project aligns with the vision for a freeway that supports Manitoba as an international trade hub, providing increased safety and level of service improvements for all motorists.
The twinning and interchange projects support the 2023 Multi-year Infrastructure Investment Strategy, which outlines over $4.1 billion in strategic investment in roads, highways, bridges, airports and flood protection over the next five years, and confirms the Manitoba government’s commitment to building the economy and investing in the future, the minister noted.
For more information on the PTH 3 twinning project, visit www.gov.mb.ca/mit/projects_management/index.html
For more information on the multi-year strategy, visit https://gov.mb.ca/mit/myhis/index.html
For more details regarding the South Perimeter Highway projects, visit https://gov.mb.ca/mit/hpd/pth100/index.html
