Provincial Road 201 and Provincial Trunk Highway 59 outlined in light blue

Three municipalities in southeastern Manitoba have banded together to lobby the province to improve the highway system in the region.

The rural municipalities of Stuartburn, De Salaberry and Franklin want the province to upgrade PR 201 and PTH 59 to RTAC highways. Franklin Reeve Greg Janzen says transportation and freight are key factors the economic growth, but load restrictions on those two highways are hindering that growth.

"We need some reason to attract people.  If we can get some trade going, start off with the stores being busier, or restaurants or gas stations and, it can snowball from there."

Janzen also suggests upgrading those two to RTAC standards would allow them to be used as an alternate route for commercial truck traffic during floods along the Red River. The municipalities are asking for PR 201 to be upgraded from Highway 75 to PR 892.  They also want improvements to Highway 59 from St. Malo to the U.S. border.