WINNIPEG – Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger has announced a long-term plan to remove red-light intersections from the Perimeter Highway around Winnipeg.
Selinger said Tuesday work is to start with four intersections south of the city where traffic lights will be removed and replaced with free-flowing interchanges.
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“The ability to put interchanges on the Perimeter Highway will allow traffic to move all around that perimeter without having to stop,” he said.
“That makes it more efficient for vehicles, less fuel being wasted, less greenhouse gas emissions.”
The changes should also help truck drivers get from the U.S. to the Centreport shipping terminals without being tied up in traffic or going through the city core.
The work will cost between $250 million and $800 million, depending on the type of interchange built at each location, and construction will be well underway by 2022, Selinger added.
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It’s part of the government’s plan announced in Monday’s throne speech to boost spending on infrastructure and help the economy. The announcement comes five months before a provincial election, with the NDP government trailing in opinion polls.
“The commitment on the infrastructure is to give that level of certainty to everybody that we’re going to keep growing the economy and creating jobs.”
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