Raising the bridge at Morris
Multimillion-dollar project to end closures
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/11/2014 (4187 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Manitoba government will raise two bridges and sections of Highway 75 near Morris to ensure the critical commercial link with the United States remains open during major floods.
The project is expected to cost between $150 million and $200 million and take five years to complete.
Engineering work will begin this winter on a new, higher bridge over the Morris River at the north end of the town as well as on a new bridge over the Plum River south of Morris near St. Jean Baptiste.
The river flows over the bridge during flood years. It accounts for springtime closures of Highway 75.
About 26 kilometres of highway north and south of Morris will be raised — in some places by as much as two metres — to keep the road above flood levels. To minimize negative downstream effects of raising the road, new hydraulic openings will be constructed below the highway, south of Aubigny, so water can flow eastward in the event of a flood.
Premier Greg Selinger and Infrastructure Minister Steve Ashton announced the long-awaited project Friday in Morris at a ceremony involving local municipal officials.
“Highway 75 is our major trade corridor south to the U.S. and beyond, carrying over $19 billion worth of trade in a single year,” Selinger said in a statement. “Since 2007, we have invested over $131 million on the reconstruction of Highway 75 to ensure continued growth of Manitoba’s economy.”
The highway has been closed due to flooding several times in recent years, causing considerable expense to the trucking industry.
The detour around the flood zone is about 100 kilometres.
The Manitoba Trucking Association has said it costs its members $1.5 million every week the road is closed.
Last year, the province rebuilt the northbound lanes of 75 from PR 205 near Aubigny to 1.8 km north of PR 305 near Ste. Agathe.
The work involved rebuilding the roadway and constructing a new concrete surface with paved asphalt shoulders.
The government emphasized highway flood prevention near Morris isn’t as simple as raising the road, which could act as a dam during floods — or raising the Morris Bridge, which could also have negative effects downstream.
The project’s design must take into account water flows in the region around the highway, officials said in explaining its long-term nature.
— staff