Dawson Trail Dispatch
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June 2023
Steps Taken to Complete Twinning of Trans-Canada Highway
Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko in Falcon Lake announces section of the Trans Canada will be twinned.
Work is now underway as the Manitoba government begins its next steps on twinning the TransCanada Highway from Falcon Lake to Manitoba-Ontario border. “It is important for Manitobans to have safe and reliable highways to get around this great province of ours and also to get to neighbouring provinces,” said Premier Heather Stefanson. “That is why we have prioritized this work as it not only serves as a key trade route, but is one of the busiest stretches of highways especially during the summer months for cottagers and travellers. The Manitoba government has committed to four lanes of traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway between Falcon Lake and the Manitoba-Ontario border and has prioritized twinning 700 metres of the highway nearest the border to align with Ontario’s new fourlane highway.
“Twinning the Trans-Canada Highway from Falcon Lake to the Manitoba-Ontario border will significantly improve safety for Manitobans and our government is committed to getting the job done,” added Stefanson. Work is currently underway, including tree clearing and other activities that began last month with an anticipated completion by fall 2024. The Manitoba government has also commissioned a conceptual design study for full 16-kilometre twinning project. “As a major corridor of the national highway system, the TransCanada Highway is essential for Manitoba’s communities and the province’s trade and tourism industries,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Doyle Piwniuk. “The 16-kilometre section from Falcon Lake to the ManitobaOntario border is the only remaining stretch not yet twinned. Our govern-
Premier Heather Stefanson gives details on a Trans Canada twinning project that will start the process of completing the final 16 KM that is still two lanes. Submitted photos
ment is committed to upgrading this important east-west link to improve public safety, enhance the reliability and efficiency of interprovincial and international commerce, and enable future development.” The conceptual design study will include route options for the four lanes on the existing alignment or on a new alignment; designs for new or modified interchanges at Provincial Road (PR) 301 and Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 44; options to eliminate three remaining intersections; access requirements at Hunt and Lyons lakes; options for replacing the existing flyover at PR 301; and assess additional interchanges or grade separations that may be required at additional locations. The conceptual design study will take approximately two years to complete, with functional and detailed design studies commissioned as the project progresses. All studies will include consultation with
Indigenous rights holders, and engagement with land and business owners, the public, and stakeholders, to develop a full understanding of the project’s implications, noted Piwniuk. Survey crews are expected at the site in the coming weeks. These surveys will include the use of drone survey equipment to learn about existing conditions while engaging local stakeholders and communities to better inform potential design alternatives. Along with the twinning, the Manitoba government is also planning to invest over $10 million for improvements on the existing Trans-Canada Highway in the interim including structure rehabilitation on the Trans-Canada Highway over the Falcon Lake access road; structure rehabilitation over Falcon Lake Road in Whiteshell Provincial Park; and structure rehabilitation over PTH 44 into the community of West Hawk Lake.