Winnipeg, MB – The 2018 preliminary budget tabled yesterday at a special Executive Policy Committee meeting proposes a record investment of $116 million in road renewal in 2018, and identifies a robust list of additional regional roads that could be renewed should the City of Winnipeg's accelerated regional roads application through the New Building Canada Fund be approved Mayor Brian Bowman announced today.
“Residents across Winnipeg continue to tell us one of their top priorities is to fix the roads,” said Mayor Bowman. “This is the highest annual level of investment in road renewal in Winnipeg’s history, and this level of investment reflects how much of a priority this is for residents across our city.”
“Get ready for another busy construction season next year,” said Mayor Bowman.
The preliminary capital budget proposes an investment of $55.7 million in 2018 through the Enhanced and Regular Regional Street Renewal Programs. Regional reconstruction and major rehabilitation work identified in 2018 include:
- Empress Street/Empress Street E/Westway/Eastway – St. Matthews to Portage
- Pembina Highway, northbound – Ducharme to Cloutier
- McPhillips Street, north and southbound – Logan to Jarvis
- Garry/Notre Dame Avenue – Notre Dame to Assiniboine/Portage to Princess
- Portage Avenue & Main Street
- St. James Street – Sargent to Ellice
- McGregor Avenue – Selkirk to Mountain
- Roblin Boulevard, east bound – Assiniboine Park Drive to Shaftesbury
- Fermor Avenue – St. Anne’s to Archibald
In addition to regional roads, the preliminary capital budget proposes an investment of $60.29 million in 2018 through the Enhanced and Regular Local Streets Renewal Programs. Locations for local street, lane, and sidewalk renewal will be identified and publicly released in the spring of 2018. These investments combine to create a regional and local street renewal program totaling $116 million in 2018, the largest single year road renewal investment in the history of Winnipeg.
The 2018 preliminary capital budget also proposes a list of regional roads that could be renewed if the City of Winnipeg’s Accelerated Regional Road Renewal application is approved for federal funding under the New Building Canada Fund.
In July 2017, Council unanimously supported a recommendation to request up to $182 million in federal funding through the New Building Canada Fund. In September 2017, a formal request for funding was submitted to the Manitoba provincial government for their review and consideration.
If approved for funding, it would further enhance the City of Winnipeg’s ability to renew regional roads across Winnipeg. By employing the City’s asset management approach using prioritization criteria, the City of Winnipeg identified the following list of 20 additional regional roads that could be renewed over the next six years if federal funding is approved:
- Portage Avenue, east bound – Woodlawn to Garden
- Portage Avenue, east and westbound – Main to Memorial
- Pembina Highway, north and southbound – Ducharme to Des Trappistes
- Kind Edward Street, north and southbound – Hyde to Logan
- Grant Avenue, east and westbound – Cambridge to Wilton
- Selkirk Avenue, east and westbound – Arlington to Sinclair
- Salter Street, east and westbound – Flora to Mountain
- University Crescent, north and southbound – Pembina to Chancellor Matheson
- Broadway Street, east and westbound – Osborne to Main
- Keewatin Street, north bound – Inkster to Adsum
- Pandora Street, east and westbound – Wayoata to Day
- Roblin Boulevard, east and westbound – Dieppe to Barker
- Dunkirk Street, north and southbound – St. Vital Bridge to St. Vital Road
- Archibald Street, north and southbound – Elizabeth to Fermor
- Regent Avenue, east and westbound – Rougeau to Plessis
- Corydon Avenue, east and westbound – Wilton to Cambridge
- Sturgeon Avenue, north and southbound – Ness to Portage
- Lagimodiere Boulevard, north and southbound – Knowles to Springfield
- Erin Street, southbound – Notre Dame to Wellington
- Sargent Avenue, southbound – Arlington to Erin
Within the City of Winnipeg, there are over 10 million vehicle kilometers driven daily, and approximately 80% of this travel occurs on regional roads like Pembina Highway, Portage Avenue, Main Street, and Regent Avenue.
“Being able to access federal funding would significantly increase the city’s ability to renew regional roads across Winnipeg,” said Councillor Marty Morantz, Chairperson of the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works. “This is a tremendous opportunity for federal, provincial, and city governments to partner in rebuilding our city’s regional road network and would significantly increase the already unprecedented level of funding the city and province are already investing in Winnipeg road repair.”
Mayor Bowman said investing in Winnipeg’s infrastructure, particularly roads, generates a significant positive rate of return and is money well invested.
“It provides a significant economic benefit,” said Mayor Bowman. “It also helps keep our city and province moving efficiently and this is good for our overall economy and productivity, benefits of which are shared by businesses of all shapes and sizes both inside and outside of Winnipeg.”