Bokhari would postpone St. Norbert bypass

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This article was published 21/03/2016 (3494 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers would rather see potholes filled and regional streets rehabilitated than big investments in less-pressing infrastructure projects, Rana Bokhari says.

On Monday, the Liberal leader said a government she leads would slam the brakes on a $400-million project to allow truck traffic to bypass St. Norbert, a residential neighbourhood.

The large undertaking was announced by the NDP government in December.

Bokhari said the condition of Winnipeg’s streets is a bigger public priority.

“Our commitment is to focus on the things that may seem unsexy, which is the… basic fixing of roads, potholes, pipes,” she said.

“You should never be in a situation where you’re afraid you’re either going to hit a vehicle next to you or hit a pothole. And that’s what we’re trying to fix.”

Bokhari would not identify any other major projects she would postpone in favour of basic street repairs. She said she wouldn’t stop any initiative already underway.

Under questioning, she also said she was big backer of rapid transit and would not wish to steer transit dollars to other things, including better roads.

“I’m 100 per cent committed to rapid transit,” she said.

“If anything we need to start thinking about how transit positively will affect our province. If Manitobans can move in and out of downtown efficiently, it’s only for our interests. So that’s not off the table.”

In 2015, only $50 million was invested in repairs of regional roads, back lanes, bridges and other road works in Winnipeg, the Liberals say. They would double the amount.

They say if the $400 million pegged for the St. Norbert project were spent on road repairs, some 270 kilometres of city streets could be fixed.

The bypass would involve a new, six-kilometre stretch of road west of Pembina Highway, connecting Highway 75 to the Perimeter Highway at the site of the new interchange at Kenaston Boulevard and the Perimeter. It would also require a bridge over the La Salle River.

Bokhari said Mayor Brian Bowman has told her the project is “not a priority” for the city. When the province unveiled it as part of a spree of pre-election announcements, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Steve Ashton suggested the Trudeau government may be interested in paying for part of the costs.

Several Winnipeg councillors declined to comment on Bokhari’s remarks Monday, explaining the bypass is a provincial priority.

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But Coun. Ross Eadie said he wonders if the Liberals understand how it fits into the bigger picture of solidifying the position of CentrePort.

Eadie (Mynarski) said the bypass is one of the steps to prioritize road access to CentrePort and make that venture successful.

Cancelling the bypass, he said, undermines the objectives of CentrePort and making Winnipeg a North American hub for trans-modal trade.

— with files from Aldo Santin

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca