Road transfer shortens drive between Thompson, Gillam
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/04/2024 (821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The drive between Thompson and Gillam is significantly shorter after two Manitoba Hydro access roads were transferred to the provincial government and upgraded.
The Keeyask generating station’s north and south access roads are now part of Provincial Road 280.
“We understand the importance of safe and reliable highway infrastructure for rural communities who may otherwise have limited travel options,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said in a news release Friday, adding the road “is a major link for many northern communities to reach larger city centres.”
The interior of the Keeyask generating station during construction in in 2018. (Manitoba Hydro)
Gillam Mayor Dwayne Forman said “saving 30 minutes is a huge improvement.”
Provincial Road 280 was built as a permanent gravel highway, and the only road access between the two communities, in 1987. The Keeyask access roads were built for the construction of Manitoba’s newest generating station and connect PR 280 and Gillam via the Keeyask site.
The Keeyask project was completed in 2022. Manitoba Hydro and the Manitoba government agreed the roads would be transferred to the province after the Keeyask station became operational. Manitoba Hydro also agreed to give the province $4 million to upgrade the roads. That work was recently completed, the province said, and the public can now use the upgraded road.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca