WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2016 7
A SUPPLEMENT TO THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
ROAD IN RUIN CRUMBLING HIGHWAY ILLUSTRATES NEED FOR INFRASTRUCTURE STRATEGY
HIGHWAY 280 BETWEEN GILLAM AND THOMPSON HAD THE DUBIOUS DISTINCTION OF EARNING TOP SPOT IN CAA MANITOBA’S ANNUAL
‘WORST ROADS’ POLL IN 2015. W hile conditions have since improved, Thompson-based Smook Contractors Ltd. vice- president Peter Paulic says the situation highlighted the need for a sensible infrastructure strategy. Hwy 280, the only road serving Gillam, Fox Lake and Split Lake — and a vital link for York Landing — was in such bad shape that semi-trailers and passenger vehicles were getting stuck in bad weather, and navigating ruts added hours to drive times. “That’s how their groceries get there, everything, and it was terrible,” Paulic says. “For the lifeline of the community, it was not good.” Members of the Tataskweyak Cree Nation at Split Lake blocked the road in 2014 to call attention to their plight. Paulic says more than 1,000 vehicles per day use the road to reach Manitoba Hydro’s Keeyask Generating Station site, and the heavy truck traffic was only making conditions worse. Last year, his company completed upgrades on 22 kilometres of road near Split Lake. Work on another 20 kilometres on the worst section of the road is almost complete, ahead of schedule, and more upgrades are planned in 2017, with Manitoba Hydro and Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation sharing costs. However, Paulic says upgrades should have been completed before construction began on the Keeyask site.
“To have it where the equipment couldn’t even get through, let alone the cars and trucks… it was absolutely crazy to see what they had to try and drive through.” Manitoba Hydro, mining companies and residents in the Thompson area rely heavily on Hwy 280 north of the city, and Highway 6 to the south. Northern contractors and the Manitoba Heavy Construction Association have been urging governments to invest in strategic infrastructure that enables safe and efficient transport of people and goods.
“ In order to pay for services the rest of the province wants, you need to grow the economy. And in order to grow the economy, fixing up your infrastructure so you have better trade infrastructure for the future is critical ”
“In order to pay for services the rest of the province wants, you need to grow the economy. And in order to grow the economy, fixing up your infrastructure so you have better trade infrastructure for the future is critical,” Paulic says. “So don’t spend your budget, but invest your budget, is what our message has been. We’re a resource-based province and if we can’t get our resources out in an efficient manner, we’re in trouble.”
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