Province wrapping up design stage for replacement bridge on PR 311

A provincial spokesperson says it could be in early January when crews begin the task of replacing a destroyed bridge northeast of New Bothwell.

In May of this year, a devastating fire burned the bridge spanning the Manning Canal along Provincial Road 311, between the New Bothwell and Landmark turnoffs. 

Russ Andrushuk is Assistant Deputy Minister for Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure as part of the Engineering and Technical Services Division. He says they are currently in the planning and design stage. 

Andrushuk says he expects the design to be completed very shortly and then they will put the project to tender, likely in November. Based on that timeline, he notes they will then likely award a tender in December and get started on construction early in the new year. Andrushuk says from a construction standpoint, there is nothing that needs to happen yet before freeze-up.

If everything goes according to plan, Andrushuk says the project should be completed in the summer of 2025. However, he notes they are looking at options where the bridge could actually reopen before the work is entirely done. 

"We're looking at options right now of reopening PR 311 over the Manning Canal at this location sometime in late fall of 2024," he says. 

Andrushuk says opening the bridge in December of 2024 depends on the timing of some of the work, including the ordering of materials.

The type of bridge they are proposing right now is referred to as a concrete superstructure. Andrushuk says it will closely resemble the bridges built along Highway 12 running across the Seine River.

Meanwhile, there had been talk that a detour might actually be put in place, off PR 311, near the vicinity of the construction site. The current detour sends traffic five miles south to Highway 52 and then five miles back to PR 311. However, Andrushuk says they are not planning on building a temporary detour.

"Throughout the project's duration, traffic will have to continue to use the detour that's in place at this time," he says.

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