Winnipeg | Perimeter Highway

[Mr Tall Forehead]

I get that secondary roads are the jurisdiction of the municipalities but outside Winnipeg the province is the road authority for any main road running through a city or leading into a city, like the ones I mentioned above.

[KnickKnack]

For sure, the province is responsible for a lot of the major urban streets in places outside Winnipeg because a lot of them are also part of larger provincial highways or roads. That’s not the case inside Winnipeg.

In terms of the fairness implications, rather than having the province be directly responsible for major city streets that connect to the PTH network I’d rather have the province make an annual contribution to the city of equivalent value. Having MTI and the city at loggerheads every time someone wants to put in a new stop sign on pembina just seems like it’s going to be a gong show.

Since we’re on the topic, does anyone know which level of government “owns” st Anne’s and st Mary’s south of the perimeter but within city limits? I assume the province given they’re signed as PRs?

[bomberjet]

Speaking of roads funding oddities. The City is budgeting $8.8 million for road works between PTH 100 and Chrypko Dr. Smack in the middle of 2 big Provincial projects (the interchange and new floodway bridge).

[Biff]

MB Government News Release - January 16, 2026

MANITOBA GOVERNMENT INVESTS IN MCGILLIVRAY BOULEVARD AND PERIMETER HIGHWAY INTERCHANGE
- - -
$235-Million Project Reduces Congestion, Improves Safety and Supports Long-Term Growth: Naylor

The Manitoba government is investing in a major infrastructure project to improve safety, the movement of goods and long-term growth by building an interchange at Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 100 (Perimeter Highway) and PTH 3 (McGillivray Boulevard), Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor announced today.

“This interchange is about keeping Manitobans safe, supporting trade and making sure our transportation network is ready for Winnipeg’s continued growth,” said Naylor. “Upgrading the Perimeter Highway to a modern, free-flow freeway will reduce congestion, improve reliability for commuters and commercial traffic, and strengthen Manitoba’s role as a national trade corridor.”

The project is part of the Manitoba government’s Perimeter Freeway Initiative, a long-term plan to upgrade the Perimeter Highway (PTH 100) to freeway standards and improve safety and efficiency around Winnipeg, the minister noted.

The interchange will include a four-lane divided highway and a two-lane undivided overpass, identified as the interim phase in the South Perimeter Highway Design Study to address current capacity, traffic volumes, safety concerns and projected growth.

Total project investment is estimated at $235 million, including engineering, design, land acquisition, utility relocations and construction. Construction is expected to begin in early spring, with completion anticipated by 2030, the minister noted.

“Trucking keeps Manitoba’s economy moving,” said Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director, Manitoba Trucking Association. “Investments such as this new interchange at McGillivray Boulevard and the Perimeter Highway ensure that we will be able to continue to move goods in a safe, efficient and competitive manner, ensuring Manitoba is a competitive place to do business.”

PTH 3 is a key route for residents, workers and businesses in communities such as Oak Bluff, Sanford, Brunkild and Sperling, providing an essential connection to Winnipeg and southern Manitoba. The interchange will strengthen regional connectivity and support economic development, added the minister.

For more information on the multi-year strategy, visit https://gov.mb.ca/mti/myhis/index.html.

For more information on the Perimeter Freeway Initiative, visit https://www.gov.mb.ca/mti/hpd/pth100/index.html.

[bomberjet]

$235 million simolions. Unreal.

[Mr Tall Forehead]

I wonder how much of that is land acquisition? That’s some prime farmland being bought for the interchange and road realignments.

[bomberjet]

I bet. The RM and land owners raised a big stink about it.

[Spocket]

235 million for a diamond? That's unreal.

Is every interchange going to cost that much? Sweet mother Mary. How can it cost that much for just one interchange? I get it, it ain't cheap to build anything in Manitoba but that seems ridiculous, frankly. I also have a feeling that even if the province does continue along this path of a free flowing Perimeter, they'll cheap out once the major ones are done and abandon the less used intersections.

[The Jabroni]

Just for comparisons sake, how much was the full interchange redesign and construction for 101/59 from almost a decade ago, which of course involved 6 bridge spans and other things and at the time, also had a high price tag?

[jim_bred]

Glad it's happening and I hope they just keep going around the perimeter. St Anne's next...

[Biff]

The big thing about these projects and their overall cost is they seem to include massive amounts of road realignment/reconstruction. Most other cities would simply build a diamond overpass over the existing highway - $30-$50m and you are done.

I’m not really sure why they are creating such vast reconstructions.

[Dengler Avenue]

The Perimeter Highway was built when? The 60s?
The design standards were also very different then.
Diamond interchange is one thing.
Then M.T.I. needs to take care of drainage, which isn’t fun in Winnepeg.
Then M.T.I. also needs to modernize the geometric design of the highway itself, which costs lots.
In Ontario, if Kenora Bypass ever gets twinned, I expect similar scope of work. Some horizontal curves have radii of 650 m (minimum for RFD-120), which MTO will definitely need to modernize. At the moment, MTO is already bringing the clear zone by the rock cuts up to standard.

[jim_bred]

Originally Posted by Spocket

235 million for a diamond? That's unreal.

Is every interchange going to cost that much? Sweet mother Mary. How can it cost that much for just one interchange? I get it, it ain't cheap to build anything in Manitoba but that seems ridiculous, frankly. I also have a feeling that even if the province does continue along this path of a free flowing Perimeter, they'll cheap out once the major ones are done and abandon the less used intersections.

If you look at the plan for this project the road work is extensive it's not just the bridge.

[jim_bred]

Originally Posted by jim_bred

If you look at the plan for this project the road work is extensive it's not just the bridge.

https://www.gov.mb.ca/mti/hpd/pth100/pdf...ned_functional_design_roadworks_plan.pdf

[Dengler Avenue]

I wonder whether M.T.I. ever shows the current vs future cross sections of the roads.
I don’t mean just lane widths, but also side slopes. (For freeways with a design speed of 120 kph or higher, the steepest side slopes without necessitating barriers is 4H:1V, aka 25%, but ideally the side slopes are gentler, without compromising drainage.)

[Highwayman]

4 years to do this thays nuts. 2030 is a long way to completion. So that will take the St Annes one till 2034 lol

[bomberjet]

Ya pretty much. I think the date was 2046 for perimeter freeway or something like that. So if they do actually keep on this track we might see that for pth 100. Im patiently waiting for more info on pth 101.

[Wpgstvsouth94]

234 million should include the rail overpass as well that’s insane. Maybe it does?

[bomberjet]

It does not. I have no idea why it wasn't included. Probably because the rest of the project already costs 234 million.

[plrh]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

I wonder whether M.T.I. ever shows the current vs future cross sections of the roads.
I don’t mean just lane widths, but also side slopes. (For freeways with a design speed of 120 kph or higher, the steepest side slopes without necessitating barriers is 4H:1V, aka 25%, but ideally the side slopes are gentler, without compromising drainage.)

No, because it's a design-build and it is up to the GC to design it. The bidders were only given a plan view design, like a map, a giant list of requirements, and some elevations.