News

The Manitoba Trucking Association is encouraged by the Province of Manitoba’s recent commitment to building a permanent detour for Highway 75 flooding. The announcement was made earlier this week as part of the Province of Manitoba’s previously announced damage prevention and climate resiliency measures program.

“We appreciate that this is a fiscally responsible option being exercised during these challenging times. This detour will be built to RTAC standards, which means that our industry members should no longer have to run reduced weights on that lane during flooding events”, explained Terry Shaw, Executive Director of the Manitoba Trucking Association.

The province has committed to key upgrades in southern Manitoba to provide commercial traffic an alternate route when Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 75 is affected by high water. The province will invest $16 million to convert Provincial Road (PR) 246 from gravel to asphalt from PTH 23 near Morris to PR 205 near Aubigny, which will allow traffic to be rerouted around sections of PTH 75 that are most prone to closure.

Concluded Shaw, “Not only is this new, permanent detour going to mean we can run regular weights during Red River flooding events, it also means that this road will be able to sustain the wear and tear of increased traffic during these events. We appreciate that we were able to contribute to this discussion with the Province of Manitoba.”