Construction Status

Construction Update

View the map of the main floodway expansion components:

1. Expansion of the West Dike – COMPLETED - The West Dike, located southwest of Winnipeg, has been raised to provide better protection against wind and waves during major floods. The dike was approximately 45 kms (28 miles) in length. It was extended approximately 11 kms (seven miles) and raised in height in varying amounts up to 1.5 metres (five feet). The project included dike construction, ditch grading, culvert installation, and the installation of rock rip rap. The project was completed in the fall of 2010. Work on the West Dike is being undertaken as part of an Aboriginal Set-Aside Initiative designed to help meet future labour needs while generating economic opportunities for the Aboriginal community.
   
   

    

    

2. Upgrades to the Inlet Control Structure - ONGOING - Upgrades are being made to the Inlet Control Structure, which regulates the division of flow between the floodway and the Red River. These improvements will improve the overall operation and reliability and extend the life of the structure.
   
   Due to the critical importance of the inlet structure to ongoing flood protection, construction can only occur on the inlet over the winter from November to March, when the floodway is not in operation. As a result, the structure is operational and could be used during the spring and summer months.
   
   TPG Pritchard Machine is doing the mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical upgrades, as well as the fire prevention and erosion protection work on the structure. Within the structure, gates are raised and lowered using hydraulic cylinders. Previously, two hydraulic cylinders that raise the west gate were replaced. The new cylinders are approximately 26.5 metres (87 feet), are ceramic coated, and have a longer life-span than the previous stainless steel cylinders, which were installed approximately over forty years ago. The new cylinders were made in France, shipped to Baltimore and moved by truck to Winnipeg. Weather permitting, the two remaining cylinders in the east gate are scheduled for replacement next winter.
   
   

    

    

3. Excavation of Floodway Channel – COMPLETED - Floodway expansion has increased the capacity of the floodway from 1,700 cubic metres (60,000 cubic feet) of water per second to 4,000 cubic metres (140,000 cubic feet) of water per second, by widening the floodway channel. The original width ranged from 215 metres (approx. 235 yards) to 305 metres (approx. 333 yards) and the expansion widened it by varying amounts by as much as 60 metres (approx. 65 yards). Approximately 21 million cubic metres of earth were excavated from the floodway channel raising Winnipeg’s flood protection from 1-in-90 to 1-in-700 year floods. Channel excavation was completed in February 2009 and revegetation work is scheduled for the summer of 2010.
   
   

    

    

4. Floodway Embankment Notches – COMPLETED - Floodway gaps, or notches, allow floodwater that is stored overland to enter the floodway directly without having to be funnelled through the original riverbank entrance providing greater flood protection. Two notches south of the PTH 59 South Bridge, were originally constructed by Manitoba Water Stewardship after the 1997 flood. One of these notches was expanded and a third notch was constructed north of the PTH 59 South Bridge, as part of the floodway expansion project.
   
   

    

    

5. CP Emerson Railway Bridge – COMPLETED - MD Steele Construction Ltd. replaced the original CP Emerson Railway Bridge with a new bridge that is designed to a 1-in-700 year flood level. The new bridge is approximately 34 metres (112 feet) longer and 2.5 metres (8.3 feet) higher than the previous structure. Work on the bridge began in the summer of 2008 and was completed in the fall of 2009.
   
   

    

    

6. Seine River Siphon Inlet – COMPLETED - Improvements have been made to the Seine River Siphon Inlet, located near Grande Point just off Hallama Road. They include installation of the new trash rack, a new backup gate, increasing the elevation of the overflow weir and constructing a new entry point to the siphon. Work on the structure began in October 2009 and was completed this past spring. Work was also done to place a barrier around the siphon pipe immediately upstream of the siphon outlet box. It stops the infiltration of water from the Seine River back into the floodway embankment.
   
   

    

    

7. PTH 59 South Highway Bridge – COMPLETED - PCL Construction Canada Ltd. replaced the two existing northbound and southbound bridge structures. The new bridge structures are four metres (13 feet) higher and 50 metres (164 feet) longer than the previous structures and are designed to the one-in-700 year flood level. As part of the project, Prairie Grove Road was relocated higher along the bank to ensure that the road remains above flood water levels for longer periods during floods. The bridge was opened in the fall of 2007.
   
   
   

    

    

8. CN Sprague Railway Bridge – COMPLETED - The CN Sprague Railway Bridge was replaced to meet the one-in-700 year flood level. The new bridge is approximately 77 metres (254 feet) longer and 2.7 metres (9.5 feet) higher than the previous structure and is designed to the 1-in-700 year flood level. PCL Constructors Canada Ltd. completed the bridge in June 2007.
   
   

    

    

9. Trans-Canada Highway Bridge – COMPLETED - MD Steele Construction Ltd. replaced the original bridge with two new bridge structures. The new bridge structures are 3.9 metres (12 feet, 10 inches) higher and 98.6 metres (323 feet, six inches) longer than the original bridge and are designed to the one-in-700 year flood level. Major safety improvements included the addition of an acceleration (eastbound) and deceleration (westbound) lane. Both are designed to move traffic more safely on and off the bridge. The bridge was opened to traffic in November 2006.
   
   

    

    

10. City of Winnipeg Aqueduct Relocation – COMPLETED - In the summer of 2006, work began on the relocation of the City of Winnipeg Branch I and II Aqueducts. The Manitoba Floodway Authority co-ordinated the work with the City of Winnipeg, as city workers also made major improvements to the water treatment plant next to the Aqueduct. The project was completed in the spring of 2007.
    
    

     

     

11. PTH 15 Highway Bridge – COMPLETED - Replacement of the PTH 15 Highway Bridge began in the summer of 2009 and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010. The project will ensure the new bridge is approximately 1.9 metres (6.2 feet) higher than the previous structure and designed for a one-in-700 year flood level. The project also ensures that the new bridge meets current design standards and will have a life span of approximately 75 years. The new bridge also includes safety improvements such as a new, three-lane structure (including a lane for traffic turning south onto the Perimeter Highway), a raised bridge median, straightening PTH 101, and improvements at the junction of PTH #15 and PR # 207. In addition, the intersection at PTH 15 and PR #207 is being designed to include traffic signals.
    
    

     

     

12. CN Redditt Railway Bridge – COMPLETED - PCL Constructors Canada Ltd. began work on the replacement of the CN Redditt Railway Bridge in January 2007. The new bridge is approximately 34 metres (112 feet) longer and 2.3 metres (7.5 feet) higher than the previous structure and is designed to the 1-in-700 year flood level. The new bridge was completed in June 2008.
    
    

     

     

13. CP Keewatin Railway Bridge – COMPLETED - MD Steele Construction Ltd. began replacing the CP Keewatin Railway Bridge in November 2007 and the project was completed in the fall of 2009. The new bridge is approximately 37 metres (121 feet) longer and 1.3 metres (4.2 feet) higher than the previous structure and is designed to the 1-in-700 year flood level.
    
    

     

     

14. PTH 44 Highway Bridge – COMPLETED - The replacement of the PTH 44 Highway Bridge began in the summer of 2009 and is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010. The new bridge will be about 0.9 metres higher (three feet) higher and 16 metres (53 feet) longer than the previous structure and is designed to the one-in-700 year flood level. In addition to meeting current design standards, the project has a number of safety improvements, including intersection improvements at the north end of the interchange and PR # 204; larger curves on connecting loops; paved shoulders on the interchange; and intersection improvements at PTH #44 and Rockhaven Road. In addition, Rockhaven Road was paved west of the CEMR track crossing to PR # 204 and a gravel pedestrian path along Rockhaven Road was also built for local residents.
    
    

     

     

15. Outlet Control Structure – COMPLETED - PCL Constructors Canada Ltd. undertook a major expansion of the Outlet Control Structure. The new structure is approximately twice the width of the original. The expanded structure will accommodate up to a 1-in-700 year flood level. Important erosion protection measures, including chute and baffle blocks, were built on the downstream end of the outlet to further reduce the speed of water re-entering the Red River. These improvements will maintain the speed of water passing through the outlet to pre-expansion flow. Work on the outlet began in the summer of 2007 and was completed in the spring of 2009.
    
    

     

     

16. West Bank Erosion Protection – COMPLETED - As a precautionary measure, erosion protection has been incorporated on the west bank of the Red River across from the outlet. This included the installation of approximately 81,000 tonnes (over 89,000 tons) of processed limestone rock rip rap on a 1.8 km section of the west bank of the Red River. The work began in November 2008 and was completed in February 2009.
    
    

     

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