The provincial government announced last week that it will be repairing its highway that leads to Peguis First Nation, Fisher River Cree Nation and other communities.
Manitoba transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said preliminary work is underway to repair and reconstruct sections of the highway.
The cost of the project is pegged at over $18 million.
“Last year’s spring weather caused significant damage to PR 224, but we are committed to improving safety and better connecting communities in the area,” said Naylor in an April 22 news release. “Investing in infrastructure creates opportunities for communities to grow and thrive. This $18.3-million project recognizes the importance of PR 224 as a vital roadway serving Peguis First Nation, Fisher River Cree Nation and the region as a whole.”
PR 224 is the only way in to and out of the First Nations communities, a cottage development on Lake Winnipeg and other communities such as Dallas and Red Rose. The narrow two-lane highway runs north from PR 325 at Hodgson. Many sections of PR 224 have sharp curves, and long stretches of the highway have no shoulders, making it hazardous under poor weather conditions or with surface breaks in the highway.
In the spring of 2018, PR 224 was in a dangerous condition. Many sections of the highway had been torn up by frost boils and potholes the width of a car, and chunks of pavement and rocks were scattered across the road.
Plans to straighten or widen parts of PR 224 are not in the province’s plans; it will be repairing the foundation where the highway is damaged and adding a new layer of asphalt along a 45-kilometre stretch.
“This project will repair the foundation of damaged sections and add a layer of new asphalt to the length of the project, which will increase the highway’s life expectancy,” said a departmental spokesperson. “Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure does not currently have plans to straighten or widen Provincial Road 224 as part of the planned surface rehabilitation project.”
Naylor said in the news release that the Manitoba government had committed to the project last fall, and the construction contract was recently awarded.
The reconstruction is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025.
For more information about highway conditions, detours and road closures, visit www.manitoba511 or call 511.
