Winnipeg’s largest infrastructure project nears completion
October 21, 2019
By CCE
Photo courtesy Winnipeg Transit.
Construction has finished on phase two of Winnipeg’s Southwest Transitway, the largest infrastructure project so far in the city’s history. It is set to open fully in spring 2020.
The dedicated high-speed roadway for buses, developed by Plenary Roads Winnipeg through a design-build-finance-operate-maintain public-private partnership (P3) contract, is physically separated from the regular street system linking the city’s downtown and southwest areas. Buses will be able to operate at speeds up to 80 km/h.
The project has a total budget of $587.3 million. Funding has been provided by all three levels of government.
An active transportation path that runs alongside the bus corridor (pictured) has already opened for cyclists’ and pedestrians’ use. It features bridges over McGillivray Boulevard and Pembina Highway.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg Transit is providing in-class and on-street training for all of its bus operators and supervisors (see video below).
“This will familiarize them with the Transitway and provide an overview of the project, including safety procedures, station design features, traffic flows and routing,” says Kyle Northcliffe, instructor with Winnipeg Transit.
