Culvert replacement underway along Hwy 201 near Stuartburn

Highway construction crews have been working along Hwy 201 between Stuartburn and Hwy 59 in southern Manitoba in recent weeks.

Reeve for the RM of Stuartburn, Michelle Gawronsky says, “I was very excited to see the signs going up, telling us that there was going to be culvert work done. And it's the intermunicipal road between Emerson-Franklin and the RM of Stuartburn.” Gawronsky adds, “This is long time in coming.”

She tells us what kind of repairs are being made.

“So, they are actually taking out the old culverts, putting in some very stable, very, very large ones, which will be able to control water and the water movement within the RM, making sure that we're respectful of our neighboring municipality, and that the water isn't overloading in their area as well.”

In August 2023, Steinbachonline reported that construction on Highway 201 was at a standstill, drainage in the RM of Stuartburn needs to improve, and roads in the community needed to be fixed.

At the time, Reeve of Stuartburn, Michelle Gawronsky addressed the issues, starting with Highway 201. “There hasn’t been any construction started and of course I’m not giving up. We're going to keep pestering until it actually gets done.”

She said they have been working with the province on drainage going into the Stuartburn area. “We know surveyors have been out taking a look at surveying some of the other roads instead of just going through the Highway 201 on areas that they could use.”

Gawronsky added that council had also been working very closely with the Seine Rat Roseau Watershed District on different ways they could control drainage within the RM.

Now she says, “This is many, many years in coming, so I'm quite thrilled to see the work being done there now.”

Gawronsky notes the crew replaces one culvert a week.

“They're working very quickly. And the culverts are large enough that I realize I'm short, but I can stand up in them. So, you know, seeing them in place, gives me some real hope that we are on our way to starting to get control of the water within our municipality. We also need to be able to make sure that our farmers and our businesses, and our community is safe from the water as well."

She adds, they finished the third culvert installation west of Stuartburn last week. “It will be interesting to see what is done to the next culvert on the north side.”

Gawronsky says the concrete culverts are at least 5-6 inches thick.

“It's massive. It's going to be there long after I'm gone. So, we're very, very excited that it is happening and very grateful to the province for making sure that it's happening. It's a step, and it's a step in moving things along in further improvements on our highways. So, we're quite excited about it.”