Commitment to road renewal continues to be a priority during pandemic
Winnipeg, MB – The City of Winnipeg’s annual road construction program is underway with nearly 150 construction projects planned city-wide. In total, over 125 lane kilometers of infrastructure improvements are scheduled this year.
The road construction projects scheduled this year represent a total investment of approximately $152.2 million in improvements, to local and regional streets, back lanes, sidewalks, and active transportation routes. Approximately 90 percent of the projects have been tendered to date.
“Cooperative weather conditions gave us a head start this spring allowing many road construction projects to get underway a bit early across our city,” said Mayor Brian Bowman. “From 2015-2021, our road renewal investments have more than doubled over the previous 7 years and this level of investment has allowed us to complete almost 900 lane kilometers of roadwork. This is approximately the distance from Winnipeg to the Alberta border.”
The City’s investment in regional and local road renewal this year reflects the full value of the two percent increase in property taxes. It also marks the third year of a five-year accelerated regional roads investment program, jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba, and the City.
“Thank you to the people of Winnipeg for your patience and cooperation with the ever-growing roster of construction projects that are cutting deep into our infrastructure deficit, we are getting more and more caught up every year,” said Chair of the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works, Councillor Matt Allard. “When planning and scheduling road construction projects each year, the City strives to reduce construction’s impact to traffic flow, businesses, and the general public.”
To reduce the impact of construction, the City will occasionally permit or require some 24/7 construction when there is an identifiable benefit to the city and public. It is usually for tasks that need completing in succession and in short duration. The City also uses condensed or restricted construction schedules, and where appropriate includes accelerated completion incentives in construction contracts.
This year’s road renewal budget includes portions of the following major reconstruction and rehabilitation projects:
Notable Regional Street Renewal Projects scheduled this year
- Reconstruction of University Crescent (start of 2-year project) - $9.9 million
- Donald Street and Hargrave Street renewal - $8.3 million
- Completion of work on Corydon Avenue, including the intersection at Cambridge Street - $3 million
- Nairn Avenue Overpass deck rehabilitation - $1.4 million
A full list of road construction projects is outlined in the multi-year Capital Budget.
During the road construction season, motorists are encouraged to plan ahead, allow additional travel time, and to download and use Waze to find the fastest route.
Waze is a free, real-time traffic and navigation app, allowing users to share and receive anonymous traffic information from the City's Transportation Management Centre (TMC) as well as other drivers.
For road construction information, including lane closures on major streets and an interactive map of construction projects, see: City of Winnipeg – Road Construction.