Manitoba Infrastructure says there are no imminent plans to build a perimeter highway or bypass around Steinbach. It raised the possibility in a new highway access plan that was developed together with the City of Steinbach and RM of Hanover. Larry Halayko, executive director of Construction and Maintenance, says that was nothing more than long-term speculation.

"Right now, at this point, the comment in that study is just a hypothetical concept being considered. It's very, very, very preliminary. With any developing community, there are some thoughts that you do need to consider over time but that would be very much a long-term plan."

So is anything on the horizon? Halayko says no.

"No, I don't see that happening anytime soon."

Highway 12 and Provincial Road 311 intersection is getting busier and busier.Meanwhile, he says they are studying the need for traffic signals on Highway #12 at Blumenort after vehicle counts reached the threshold where signals may be warranted.

"Certainly at the #12 and 311 in Blumenort, the warrants were just recently met this past summer. However, we do still need to do some further detail analysis as far as the traffic splits and flows. Just because the warrant flows are met, there still are several factors that need to be met to determine whether, in fact, traffic signals are the correct solution. So, our department staff will be undertaking that over the next coming months here and working with the community in regards to that."

He adds it's a similar situation to Highway #52 at Centre Street in Mitchell where the threshold was also reached for signals.

"I think more detailed traffic counts do have to be taken there as well. Also, within the study, there was talk of longer-term plans of whether that intersection would be a three-legged or a four-legged intersection and there would have to be further discussions on that as well."