Manitoba awards contract to WSP for South Perimeter Highway project

The province of Manitoba has announced that WSP Canada Group was the successful proponent following a competitive bid process to provide a functional design study for the reconstruction of the South Perimeter Highway, also known as Provincial Trunk Highway (PTH) 100, as well as the proposed future St. Norbert bypass.

The RFP for the project was issued August 1, and four engineering consultants submitted proposals.

“The design study will consider options for safe, efficient and cost-effective access points along the South Perimeter Highway as well as options for a future bypass around St. Norbert,” said Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler, in a media release. “These projects are long-term investments leading to safer roads and more efficient traffic movement which can also save on fuel costs.”

The South Perimeter Highway will be redesigned to create a modern freeway similar to American interstate standards where interchanges with overpass structures, ramps or loops, and service roads provide highway access.

The functional design will also include plans for a future western bypass of the St. Norbert neighbourhood, starting south of the area and running north to PTH 100 at Kenaston Boulevard.

The study will address:

• future interchange locations;
• future railroad grade separations;
• bridge replacements and/or modifications;
• access requirements;
• rights-of-way requirements;
• traffic projections, interchange and intersection analyses;
• improvements to interchanges and all major road intersections;
• locations of utilities and illumination;
• long-term drainage plans;
• City of Winnipeg transit requirements and active transportation accommodations;
• trucking and transport requirements;
• construction staging; and
• stakeholder consultations and public engagement.

The functional design study will guide more detailed design work and reconstructions on the highway in the future, preserve the necessary land for the proposed St. Norbert bypass and support local area development and land-use planning.

The study is expected to take two years to complete and will include consultations with the public and stakeholders.