Mayor supports 24/7 construction in Winnipeg

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman would like to see 24-hour road construction as the city looks to take on more street renewal projects.

“With the city trying to add $182 million in federal funding to its road renewal budget, it’s time to look at around the clock construction, said Bowman.

“We do want to raise the bar to even greater heights for road construction,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We do want to raise the bar to even greater heights for road construction," he said.

“24/7 is something that I’d like to see. I know it’s something that’s been talked about for many years,” he continued.

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Starting in 2013, the city began to occasionally have weekend and evening crews work on selected projects to avoid causing weekday traffic congestion.

Recently, the Waze traffic app and traffic management system have also been added as ways for drivers to avoid congested areas during construction season.

READ MORE: Winnipeg looks to improve construction communication

However, the city is in the midst of completing a report looking at if more extended hour construction can take place.

The Manitoba Heavy Construction Association is willing to work with the city to make that happen, however there are concerns about worker safety and residential noise.

“While some may have noticed road construction during extended hours, into the hours of darkness in some cities, this happens usually on freeways or highways, and industrial areas removed from urban settings. There aren’t a lot of roads in Winnipeg that do not touch upon residential neighbourhoods,” read a statement from a spokesperson with the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association.

The city report on evening and weekend construction is expected to complete by the fall.