Victoria Day – Monday, May 20. View holiday hours for City of Winnipeg facilities and services.
![Roadway construction](/publicworks/construction/images/BANNER-RoadConstruction.jpg)
Road Construction
Winnipeggers can expect a busy and productive construction season. For a complete list of construction projects please see the road construction map, and the road construction list.
Plan ahead and use Waze
While the City is making every effort to coordinate construction projects and mitigate their impacts as much as possible, with the volume of work this year, some delays and disruption can be expected.
We encourage motorists to plan ahead, allow additional travel time and strongly encourage Winnipeggers to download and use the Waze app for the fastest route every day. By using Waze, the free, real-time traffic and navigation app, you can share and receive anonymous traffic information from the City's Transportation Management Centre (TMC) and other drivers to assist you with deciding which routes to take and which routes to avoid. The TMC will also be posting all lane closures on major streets to the Waze app. More information: Lane closures
Thank you for your patience as we work to complete these important infrastructure projects.
Construction FAQ
Street renewal definitions
Concrete pavements can be a cost-effective option for streets with heavy truck traffic and/or weak soils. Where traffic volumes are lower and/or soil conditions improve, asphalt can be a cost-effective solution. Therefore the City currently reconstructs the majority of residential streets and alleys with asphalt surfaces.
More information on this can be found in a May 28, 2019 report to the Standing Policy Committee on Infrastructure Renewal and Public Works.
- Street classification (regional, collector, industrial, residential or alley)
- Surface type
- Pavement condition
- Renewal treatment (cost/benefit)
- Pavement age
- Coordination with other stakeholders (e.g. Water & Waste)
- Bus route
- Truck route
- Proximity to schools / recreational facilities / retirement facilities
- Available budget
- Development in the area
- Continuity of routes (e.g. extend a renewal to complete a section)
The success of a cost-effective pavement renewal program is the application of the right treatment to the right pavement at the right time. In addition to renewing very poor (failed) pavements, the City applies less costly treatments to extend the service life of good and fair pavements rather than waiting until more expensive treatments are required.
When construction is underway, motorists are encouraged to plan ahead, allow additional travel time and use alternate routes. Use the Waze app for the fastest route every day.
- Pre-Construction – Construction phase has not started.
- 0% – Construction contract is in place, but crews have not mobilized to the site.
- 5% – Crews have mobilized to the site and construction has just begun.
- 10% - 90% – An approximation of progress; construction is well underway.
- 95% – Main roadway construction is complete; travelling lanes are open/parking is restored/garbage pickup resumes (depending on the location); minor deficiencies and landscaping (seeding/sod) are likely outstanding.
- COMPLETE – All construction components of the project are complete. Contractor may return for any follow up or warranty work in the next 1-2 years. Utilities (e.g. street lights) may or may not be complete. Construction may not be complete for other locations in the same contract.
There are a number of reasons they may not be on site at a given time, including (but not limited to):
- Concrete curing time;
- Staging of multiple locations within a single contract; or
- Completion of a given stage before the next is scheduled.
Regardless, if it is a good-weather weekday, it will count as a Working Day toward the contract's total, whether they are on site or not. A contractor exceeding the allowable Working Days is subject to paying liquidated damages as specified in the contract.
Running a construction operation on a 24/7 basis is complex as there are several challenges in undertaking 24/7 construction including:
- The safety of workers and the travelling public is reduced for operations after dark;
- Noise complaints - even if residential areas are not directly beside the construction area, construction noise travels far;
- Availability of work crews - running a 24 hour operation requires two to three separate crews;
- Having such requirements on a contract, contractors are likely to respond (bid) with a cost premium to cover their risk for night and/or extended working hours (i.e. it will cost more).
Where there is a specific benefit to the City and public, the City does require/permit a contractor to run a construction operation through the night. These are usually for a task that needs to be done in succession, very rapidly, and for a short period (for example: one or two days at a high-traffic intersection). The benefit must outweigh the risks and costs discussed above.
Our programs and their associated lane closures are planned with overall traffic management in mind, with the goal of minimizing (to the extent possible) the impact to the public, and the understanding that these infrastructure investments are essential to our transportation system.
Certain high-priority contracts will specify Saturdays as a Working Day to help speed up work.
When weather conditions permit, construction crews typically work a 12 hour day during the construction season.
The fronting property owners will be responsible for their proportional share of the cost of the improvement, recovered through their property taxes.
- Our contractors are working with their industry and public health officials to determine safe work procedures for construction sites.
- In-person outreach and consultations to help us understand the needs of property owners adjacent to regional road renewals and other non-Capital projects will now be done remotely via phone, regular mail, email or other online channels.
- We are evaluating options for public engagement on larger capital projects and looking at how to continue to stay connected to Winnipeggers and their feedback and input. Updates on specific projects and their timeleines will be provided once information is available.
We are doing our best to reach stakeholders in a timely and efficient manner but also understand that normal is changing every day and people may no longer be reachable where, or how, we once expected.
If you are a stakeholder on an upcoming project and have new or temporary contact information, please reach out to PWDCommunications@winnipeg.ca.