The final tower was installed on the west side of the Red River at the floodway control gate (photo credit Manitoba Hydro).Construction on the Manitoba to Minnesota Transmission has been completed on time despite a near-constant barrage of setbacks.

As Manitoba Hydro Spokesperson Bruce Owen indicates, there were several factors that made it difficult to erect the 490 million dollar transmission line. First, in October, one of the primary construction zones in La Broquerie, Stuartburn, and Piney was hit hard by floodwaters rendering the ground soft and inaccessible.

Read more: Rainfall Stops Transmission Line Progress

No sooner had the flood ended when the whole of Manitoba was walloped by the Thanksgiving snowstorm which leveled roughly 4,000 hydro poles province-wide.

“Our full attention had to be put towards that to get people back their electricity as quickly as possible,” comments Owen.

Read more: Province Declaring State Of Emergency As Thousands Remain Without Power

Then, he notes, after a few months of quiet, came the COVID-19 pandemic which, of course, complicated even the simplest of tasks.

“You can’t plan for those instances, you have to adapt," says Owen, "and that is what we did.”

All things considered, the conditions were far from ideal and the contractors and workers involved are glad it is essentially over.

“Speaking for the entire crew, yes, it is a sigh of relief,” Owen states. “There is also a sense of pride in accomplishing what was accomplished given the challenges that were thrown our way.”

Now, throughout the next two weeks, all 503 towers along the line must undergo a final inspection to verify that there are no deficiencies. From there, the whole system will be gradually energized, or commissioned, to ensure all of the parts are working before it goes into full service. Owen says the line will be fully operational by June, as originally planned.