ROB BROWN Enlarge Image

Widening of Inkster Boulevard north of Fairgrove Park continues. The roadway is being widened in anticipation of increase in traffic from the CentrePort Canada project.

Motorists in north Winnipeg can expect delays in the coming weeks as part of ser­ies of road improvements linked to the CentrePort Canada project.

A spokesperson for the city’s public works department said one of the more significant improvements is the twinning of Inkster Street from Keewatin Street to Brookside Boulevard.

"As well, we are working on about 400 metres west of Oak Point Highway on provincial road 221," she said, noting that construction is on schedule and is expected to be completed by the fall of 2011.

"We are building the eastbound lanes this year and expecting to put traffic in both directions on to the new pavement for the winter," she said, adding that westbound lanes are to be constructed 2011.

A Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation official said a number of provincial road projects have been fast tracked as a result of city construction projects.

"The most visible work involves creating four lanes along a one-kilometre section of Inkster Street that will ultimately become part of CentrePort Canada Way," he said.

"In addition, the median of Provincial Road 221 has been removed to accommodate the closure of certain lanes during construction."

The provincial spokesperson said part of the road improvements will be the construction of on-ramps to the new Perimeter Highway at the Saskatchewan Avenue during the completion of a detour to accommodate traffic. The detour is expected to be completed on Aug. 6.

"Once traffic is able to use the detour, more work will continue in this area including work on the Perimeter Highway itself," he said.

In addition, a sound barrier wall is being constructed between the detour and the residences to reduce noise levels during construction.

"This noise barrier will run along the detour and will be a four metre-high wall," the spokesperson said
Approximately $300 million will be spent on upgrading existing area highways for the CentrePort project.

The CentrePort project, which will be located north west of Winnipeg’s Richardson International Airport, is set to become an international hub for transporting goods.

rob.brown@canstarnews.com