Winnipeg, MB - Local Winnipeg streets will soon benefit from a record $48.9 million dedicated to improving our local streets this year. Today, the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba announced the City is ready for construction season, providing a list of more than 100 reconstruction and rehabilitation projects that will get started in Winnipeg in 2014.
For the past two years, repairing Winnipeg streets has been the major focus of City of Winnipeg budgets. The $48.9 million committed to local Winnipeg streets in 2014 is shared by the City and the Province of Manitoba.
"Winnipeggers have been clear that it's time to rebuild our roads and we are listening," said City of Winnipeg Minister Kevin Chief. "I want Winnipeggers to have a safe, smooth ride from the street in front of their house to the road they take to work, school or wherever their day takes them. This commitment to residential streets is part of the Manitoba Government’s quarter of a billion dollars investment to repair and rebuild Winnipeg streets over the next five years. This historic level of funding means we will get more work done faster than ever before."
In 2013, City Council adopted a one per cent property tax increase to be 100 per cent dedicated to improving streets, back lanes and sidewalks, called the Local Street Renewal Reserve. In 2014, an additional 16 streets and four back lanes will be renewed as a direct result of this reserve.
“Fixing our streets is Council’s number one priority,” said Mayor Sam Katz. “We are committing record amounts to local and regional streets this year. If we continue to focus our budgets on street renewal, we will soon begin to see a noticeable difference from this targeted investment.”
“Neighbourhoods across the city will benefit from local street renewals in 2014,” said Councillor Thomas Steen. “Besant Street in Elmwood-East Kildonan, for example, will undergo a complete reconstruction this year renewing its lifespan to more than 30 years.”
A portion of the $48.9 million will also be used to renew sidewalks, walkways and bike paths. This amount of spending on local streets is a 148% increase compared to 2012 (before the implementation of the dedicated local street renewal reserve funding).
Approximately 75% of the local street renewal program tenders have been advertised or awarded. A full list of the 2014 local street renewals is available in the 2014 Capital Local Street Renewals, Alley Renewals and Granular Roadway Improvements Report approved by the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works on April 17.
In total, $279.6 million is budgeted for improving our local streets over the next 6 years. The total regional and local street renewal program in 2014 is $84.2 million.
The Manitoba Government’s $250 million commitment for Winnipeg streets will add a total of $66 million in all new funding over the next five years to existing road improvement programs in Winnipeg, which has allowed for major new road reconstruction projects to proceed this year.
The commitment is part of the Manitoba government's $5.5-billion Five-Year Plan to Build a Stronger Manitoba. Funds raised from the one-cent-on-the-dollar increase in the PST will be dedicated to new investments in core infrastructure including:
- more than $3.7 billion to be invested in Manitoba roads, highways and bridges to better connect communities and strengthen trade corridors,
- $320 million to be invested in flood protection around the province to better protect more communities from flooding, and
- more than $1.5 billion to be invested in municipal roads, clean water and other municipal infrastructure to help meet the needs of Manitoba's many growing communities.