The coronavirus pandemic has cancelled a lot of activities in Winnipeg so far, but one annual event that will continue unabated is the city’s road construction season, which is planned to get underway in May.
The city said Friday that close to 200 construction projects have been planned, totalling more than 175 kilometres of road improvements.
The improvements to Winnipeg’s local and regional streets, back lanes and sidewalks come with a $130-million price tag and will have the additional benefit of providing jobs at a time when many Winnipeggers are unemployed due to the coronavirus crisis.
“The health and well-being of Canadians remains our top priority as COVID-19 continues to have an unprecedented impact on people and economies across the country,” said federal Infrastructure and Communities Minister Catherine McKenna.
“We have invested in projects to help build our communities, and efforts are being made to safely maintain transportation networks so residents can get where they are needed. We will get through this together.”
The city said its investment in road renewal reflects the two per cent property tax increase as well as the second year of a five-year accelerated road investment program funded by all three levels of government.
“The start of road construction season is always an exciting time because it signals the flow of capital funding dollars into our economy,” said Mayor Brian Bowman.
“Against the backdrop of the global pandemic and the effect it has had on our economy, this is an especially important road construction season for jobs and our city’s economy.”
The city said it will be working with contractors to implement best practices for disinfecting equipment, encouraging handwashing and promoting social distancing. Construction information, including lane closures on major streets and an interactive map of construction projects, is available on the city’s public works website.
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