There will be a flurry of activity for the Bipole III project along Provincial Road 206 just north of Randolph in about a week's time. 

Manitoba Hydro public affairs officer Bruce Owen says crews have already assembled rider poles on either side of the road, a structure meant to ensure the conductor lines do not touch the ground. 

"When the conductor is flown by helicopter across the roadway, the conductor cannot touch the ground," notes Owen. "It has to be done by air. It's one of the safer ways and certainly it's productive. It's keeping us to schedule and allowing us, when the weather is good, to do this work quickly to minimize traffic disruption as much as possible."

Owen says when the conductor line is being flown across the roadway crews will temporarily stop traffic to ensure the safety of the public.

"Obviously there will be a lot of activity," says Owen. "Besides the helicopter in the air, there will be a number of vehicles - bucket trucks and cranes."

He notes seeing the helicopter working is a more unusual sight and crews have seen many instances where people stop to take photos, video, or simply to watch. Owen says while the public is welcome to do so, they have to keep in safety in mind.

"We just ask, when they do this, to be mindful that they're on a roadway and to pull over a safe distance. There's no harm taking photographs, they will be kept out of harm's way by our staff and contractors, but just as long as they're off the roadway. Find a spot where you're not interfering with the flow of traffic and posing a risk to yourself or anyone else."

He adds they are looking to cross Highway 52 and Highway 59 in about two weeks, noting the work is always dependent on weather as any threat of lightning shuts down operations until its safe to resume.

Owen says the target date for completion of the entire Bipole III project is July 2018. 

Read More:
Large Air Crane To Start Working West Of Steinbach This Month
Helicopters Being Used To Hang Insulators On Bipole III Towers