Local

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Highway through Morris upgraded to withstand storms, improve safety

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 10/9/2012 12:42 PM | Comments: 0

Work on upgrading Hwy. 75 through Morris is finished, Premier Greg Selinger and federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews said today.

The work included improvements to intersections, new lighting, sidewalks and better drainage in the event of heavy rain storms.

"The upgrades to Highway 75 will keep traffic flowing smoothly and safely along one of our busiest routes," Selinger said in a statement.

The project was paid for by the province, Ottawa and the town.

"Our investment has created good-paying jobs in our community and strengthened the local economy of our region," Toews said.

The work on Hwy. 75 through Morris began in 2011 with the reconstruction of southbound lanes, followed by northbound lanes this year.

The work is part of a multi-year initiative to upgrade one of the province’s busiest highways from Ste. Agathe to Letellier.

The total cost of the broader Hwy. 75 reconstruction is $90.2 million. Ottawa is contributing up to $42.5 million, with the province providing the balance of funding.

The Manitoba government is also spending $1.4 million to improve southbound lanes on Hwy. 75 on the Manitoba side of the Emerson international border crossing. It involves the construction of a dedicated, southbound commercial truck lane, new traffic signals and new lighting.

The upgrades are intended to improve flows for commercial trucks and cars when lining up at U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Meanwhile, the province is continuing with a hydrology study of the Red River at Morris to look at ways to keep Hwy. 75 open during floods. In bad flood years, the Morris River at the north side of the town floods over the Morris Bridge, closing the highway.

One option is to reroute the Morris River further north into the Red River.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.