The Manitoba Government announced it is planning to upgrade highway infrastructure, including provincial Highway 75 in order to help protect it from extended closures caused by flooding.
The Trucking Association (MTA) welcomes the news, saying the route is vital to the trucking industry.
“The MTA has been advocating for a long time for additional improvements to Highway 75. When that route is shut down due to flooding, the costs to our industry are significant” says Terry Shaw, MTA’s general manager.
The Emerson border crossing, he explains, is one of the largest trade crossings in Canada and Highway 75 is critical to it.
When flooded, truck traffic must re-route, losing money.
“There is an estimated $19 billion in truck trade that crossed the border at Emerson last year making it the 5th largest trade crossing in Canada,” he says. “These upgrades mean a flood won’t stop us doing our job of connecting Manitoba wholesalers, manufacturers, contractors and other businesses to trade across the continent.”
Details of the upgrades have not yet been released.
The provincial government also promised major upgrades to the Trans-Canada Highway to Ontario, a new Trans-Canada Highway bypass around Headingley and major investments for the Perimeter Highway system.
“[These] all contribute to enhancing the success of CentrePort Canada and of the trucking industry as a whole,” Shaw says.
