Preamble:  Provincial Highway 75 is the main north-south artery connecting much of western Canada to the United States and an integral part of the Centreport concept for Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba.  There are over 800,000 vehicles that pass through the Emerson/Pembina border crossing every year, nearly half of which are commercial vehicles.  There is over $12 billion worth of raw materials, manufactured goods and grain that crosses annually.  The vast majority of this is either coming from or going to Winnipeg and travels along highway 75 to get to its destination, making this a very vital byway in our province.

Provincial Highway 75, however, runs parallel to the Red River which is prone to flooding during the spring.  It has been closed off 6 times in the last 12 years, often for weeks at a time.  While this has very tragic results to the local economies of the towns along its route, there is a much larger picture that is affected on a much larger scale.  The flow of goods is diverted hundreds of kilometers adding to the cost of shipping (not to mention the environmental impact of extra fuel).  There are often delays and, at times, cancellation of shipments due to the detours involved.  The extra costs involved are mostly passed on to the consumer.  Tourism, which is just getting warmed up for the season, is stalled as travelers find alternate routes.  Many areas of all Manitoban’s lives are affected by even a small flood in the Red River Valley. 

The main issue is the closing of Highway 75.  In truth, very little of the highway is actually submerged.  Currently there is only about16 km of the 105 km that is covered in water with most of it being only a few inches below the surface.  Raising just this portion of highway as well as the bridge over the Morris River would keep this main transportation link open in all but the worst of flooding conditions.

Resolution: That both the Government of Manitoba and the Government of Canada use a portion of their infrastructure budgets to raise the section of Highway 75 and the bridge crossing the Morris River that is currently submerged by the Red River flood waters, with the purpose of keeping the highway open for the movement of goods along this vital trade corridor.

 

Resolution Report:  

The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce produces Resolution reports as part of its commitment to be accountable to its members. The reports are updated as matters unfold and have three components:

MCC Advocacy: Specific activities the MCC has done to help make this Resolution a reality. 

Developments:  Events (e.g. government action, media coverage) that relate to Resolution. 

Current Status: The MCC’s current plans to help make this Resolution a reality. 

Advice, comments, and information sharing are welcome; simply enter a reply at the bottom of this post.

 

MCC Advocacy: 

April 16, May 6 and May 7, 2009: The 2009-2010 Resolutions were posted on the MCC website, listed as part of a comprehensive Report on AGM 2009 and then notice of this story was circulated through the MCC e-Omnibus which is sent to all MCC members, Media and Government.

May 19, 2009: Resolution books were sent to every MLA and every Member of Parliament that hails from Manitoba. The following had this Resolution specifically drawn to their attention with a detailed letter setting out the background to this issue, Government initiatives (where applicable), and an argument for the Resolution:

• The Minister of Competitiveness, Training and Trade
• The Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation  

July 20, 2009: Wrote to a Morris Economic Development Officer in relation to this issue.  

December 3, 2009: The MCC asked the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation about this issue during his edition of the MCC Speaker Series series. To see a video of his answer click here. 

December 17, 2009: Posted a comment on the Winnipeg Free Press website praising it for its article (see Developments December 17/09 below). The comment also mentioned this Resolution and provided the address to this Resolution report. As well, the MCC posted the WFP article and mentioned this Resolution in the CentrePort discussion on the MCC Virtual Network here.  

December 17, 2009: Discussed this issue during a meeting with the Honourable Vic Toews, Federal President of the Treasury Board. 

Toews is very interested in this issue and would like to see it resolved. The actual choice of a solution though, is in the hands of the province.

 

Developments:

April 29, 2009: A picture is worth a thousand words. These pictures of the situation relating to Highway #75 were sent in to the MCC:

This picture shows Morris, looking North East. In the distance you will see Highway #75 and as it comes closer to Morris it disappears under the water. This demonstrates that it is a short distance North where the highway actually rises above the water level in this the second worst flood in the past 100 years. Yes it is only about three miles ( 5 km) until the highway is just above the water level. There are some parts that are just above or in some cases slightly submerged. However this area is not a great distance. It also demonstrates that the highway does not have to be raised a great deal, thus not a great insurmountable expense to correct this situation.

The same scenario only from a slightly different angle.

This picture shows the highway looking South from Morris to St Jean. The total distance from Morris to St. Jean is 10 km. The highway in the Southbound lane is visible through the water. This also means that it would take very little to keep this main route open. Perhaps raising the highway one meter at the most, or less would accomplish this feat. From St. Jean the highway is open to the U.S. border and of course beyond.

May 5, 2009: In the web edition of the Winnipeg Free Press an article entitled “Portion of Hwy. 75 reopens” stated as follows:

A 14-km stretch of Highway 75 has been reopened to local traffic and if flood waters continue to recede at their current pace, the entire roadway between Winnipeg and the U.S. border could be back to normal by mid-May.

Neil Gobelle, coordinator of Highway Information Service, said the southbound lanes between St. Jean Baptiste and Morris are now being used for two-way traffic. Portions of the northbound lanes are still covered with water.

Shoppers looking to make a cross-border run and semi-trucks travelling between Canada and the U.S. must still take a 75-km detour via highways 3 and 14.

He said crews continue to clean up debris near Morris and repair damage to the road.

“It’s a reasonable possibility that all of Highway 75 could be reopened by mid-May. There’s still a metre of water on the Morris River bridge in Morris,” he said.

 

May 17, 2009: The Winnipeg Free Press contained an article by Aldo Santin entitled “Town, provincial government consider Highway 75 flood-proofing”. The article is reproduced below in its entirety:

Officials from the town of Morris will be meeting with provincial leaders for discussions on upgrading Highway 75.

Ruth Murray, deputy mayor of Morris, said the Doer government has to develop a plan to ensure Highway 75 is never closed again because of flooding.

Highway 75 is the major transportation link between Winnipeg and the United States, she said, adding the province cannot afford to see it closed again.

“With the province’s plans for CentrePort and trade with the United States, it’s absolutely vital that we keep Highway 75 open,” Murray said.

Highway 75 reopened Wednesday between Winnipeg and the U.S. border; some sections had been underwater since April 7. In some places, the water on the road was almost a metre deep.

Murray said the highway closure had a severe impact on the local economy but there is a greater impact to the rest of the province.

“The highway is important to the trucking industry and the rest of the provincial economy,” Murray said. “We have to do something so that Highway 75 is never closed again.”

Murray said town leaders have a meeting coming up with Infrastructure Minister Ron Lemieux and highways staff, adding it’s important that they leave the meeting knowing that the province will deal with this issue.

Lemieux could not be reached for comment, but a senior provincial spokesman said upgrading Highway 75 remains a priority.

Ron Weatherburn, executive director of construction and maintenance, said the province understands the vital link the highway plays in the Manitoba economy, adding the next step is determining what should be done.

“We are investigating what should be done but right now we don’t know exactly what,” Weatherburn said.

Weatherburn said Ottawa and the province will be spending $80 million over the next five to upgrade Highway 75.

Murray said there are options to protecting the highway. Raising the level of the roadway could be expensive but it would only be needed in certain locations, mostly just north and south of Morris, she said.

Another option could be to extend the dike that protects the town of Morris, she said, adding that would protect the low sections of Highway 75.

Murray said the cost of the project has to be considered in context to the cost to the provincial economy when the highway is closed.

 

May 25, 2009: A Manitoba Government news release entitled “Manitoba Continues Historic Investment in Highway Renewal Plan:  Lemieux” included the following:

Increased support of $122 million has been added to the province’s highway renewal plan for year three of the 10-year plan which will continue to improve safety, accelerate infrastructure renewal and help stimulate the economy, Infrastructure and Transportation Minister Ron Lemieux announced today.

“This year, our budget for highway renewal has increased to $545 million from $423 million, an increase of over 30 per cent from 2008 and more than triple the level of investments made in 1999,” said Lemieux. “This significant addition to our highways program will improve roadways and bridges in Manitoba while at the same time create jobs and help to stimulate local economies during uncertain economic times.”

….

• rehabilitation of PTH 75 and start of construction on CentrePort Canada Way, both projects which are cost shared with the federal government.

….

November 23, 2009: Received a letter from the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation on this issue, stating as follows:

I can assure your membership that the maintenance of our highway links to the United States and the renewal of crucial transportation corridors such as PTH 10 will remain one of our highest priorities. The importance of our highway system in Manitoba’s current and future economic growth guarantees our continuing commitment to strategic investment in preserving this asset.

December 17, 2009: The Winnipeg Free Press contained an article by Mary Agnes Welch entitled “Floods a weak link in CentrePort plan: Main route to U.S. can close in spring” which touched upon this issue. 

Excerpts of the article include the following: 

Highway 75 is seen as one of the weak links in the province’s plan to create a new trade and transportation hub called CentrePort. The new industrial park, planned for near the airport, aims to lure more businesses to the city by better co-ordinating air, rail and truck traffic.

Despite millions of dollars in improvements, Winnipeg’s main trade route to the U.S. was under water for 36 days last spring, which forced truckers to take an hour-long detour and raised questions about how well an inland-port concept might work.

Manitoba Trucking Association general manager Bob Dolyniuk said the spring closing cost the trucking industry about $9 million in lost productivity. 

… 

“It’s priority for us,” said Ron Weatherburn of Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation. “It’s just a matter of getting everything settled on what we should do.” 

…

Weatherburn said there’s no target date for a decision, though he said one could come “fairly soon.” He wouldn’t reveal a range of costs.

Read the complete article here.

February 23, 2010: The Progressive Conservatives issued a news release entitled “NDP Government Stalling On Flood Prevention: Selinger’s NDP doesn’t have long-term plan: Taillieu.” That release stated as follows:

The Selinger government issued its first spring flood outlook for 2010, but has still made no mention of a long term plan to deal with the annual flooding over Highway 75 south to the U.S border. 

Morris MLA Mavis Taillieu says as Highway 75 is one of Manitoba’s most vital transportation routes, the NDP’s failure to take swift action after yet another year of flooding in 2009 is outrageous. 

“Flooding south of Winnipeg is a regular occurrence,” Taillieu said. “We had flooding in 2006. We had flooding last year. We have another flood looming on the horizon for 2010. Yet it seems that each year after the flood waters subside, we hear much talk from the NDP about plans to fix the problem, but we have yet to see any  action.” 

Taillieu says the failure to plan not only spells repeated disaster for thousands of homeowners along the Red River, but it also has a negative impact on Manitoba’s economy. 

“With CentrePort Canada in the works, hopes to make Winnipeg a major transportation hub for north-south trade will be quickly dashed without a long term plan in place,” Taillieu said, noting the route has been closed nearly 100 days in the past 13 years. “The ability to efficiently move goods to and through Manitoba from the south during a flood event must be addressed, or it will have a continued negative impact on commerce.” 

Comparatively, Interstate 29 through Grand Forks and Fargo has been closed due to flooding just eight times over the same time period. 

“We cannot afford to ignore these infrastructure deficiencies,” she said. “There are plenty of great ideas on the table, such as raising the highway and bridge into Morris, creating a bypass route, or even adding more dikes. Something must be done and it must be done now.”

 

Final Report:

The meeting with the new Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation went very well. While it is taking time, given the Minister’s position it seems that this Resolution will indeed be accomplished. That said, until the Minister’s declarations become a reality this Resolution is only a qualified success. 

This issue is the subject of a draft Resolution at the 2010 AGM of the MCC. Click here for details.