Road construction projects still on track

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/05/2020 (2239 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While a lot of our usual spring events have been postponed or cancelled due to COVID-19, one seasonal activity is ready to roll as usual — road construction and repair.

With road construction deemed an essential service, planned projects are expected to proceed, with approximately 85 per cent of the projects already tendered.

Kicking off this month, nearly 200 construction projects tendered totaling over 175 lane kilometres of improvements tendered will be built. All together, these projects represent $130 million in improvements to local and regional streets, back lanes, and sidewalks.

The City of Winnipeg’s investment in regional and local road renewal this year reflects the full value of the two percent increase in property taxes. It also marks the second year of a five-year accelerated regional roads investment program jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Province of Manitoba, and the City. Many of these projects are right here in River Heights-Fort Garry.

The Corydon/Stafford/Taylor Pavement Renewal project has a budget of $28.85 million and over the next five years you’ll see these well-loved and often-travelled routes transformed through reconstruction of road surfaces, sidewalk renewal, street light replacement and upgrades to cycling infrastructure.

Areas of work will be:

• Corydon Avenue from Stafford Street to Cambridge Street (2020-2021);

• Eastbound Corydon Avenue from Cambridge Street to Waterloo Street (2020);

• Taylor Avenue from Wilton Street to Pembina Highway (2021-2023);

• Stafford Street from Corydon Avenue to Pembina Highway (2022-2023).

The Cockburn and Calrossie Sewer Separation project is another major project that will be completed fall 2020. New sewers are being installed along Grant and Taylor Avenues using a trenchless tunnel method to prevent substantial above ground disruption to motorists and the public. This $62.7 million project provides a new land drainage system in order to prevent basement flooding and sewer overflow in the Fort Gary and Grant Park neighbourhoods.

Safety, even more than usual, remains a top priority. Due to COVID-19 outreach and consultations to help teams understand the needs of property owners adjacent to these projects will now be done remotely via phone, regular mail, email or other online channels.

In addition, the City will be working with contractors to implement best practices for infection prevention and control.

If you have concerns, please visit the City’s construction FAQ page here: winnipeg.ca/publicworks/construction/

As always, if you have concerns or questions about construction in your neighbourhood, please reach out to me at 204-986-5236 or send me a note at jorlikow@winnipeg.ca