The Municipal Road Improvement Program (MRIP) was developed in partnership with the Association of Manitoba Municipalities (AMM) and provides 50/50 cost-shared funding for municipal road projects including the cost of new road construction and road renewal projects to extend the useful life of a road.
A total of 188 projects were approved in 2017 in 99 municipalities, with a focus on main streets, back lanes, campground roads, industrial park corridors, and will positively impact people in their respective communities. Investments in our road and transportation infrastructure ensure that both goods and services continue to flow efficiently throughout our province, which is why last month our government announced a $12 million investment for municipal roads.
We recognize the importance of investing in our municipal infrastructure, which helps foster long-term, sustainable growth for our communities. Projects were evaluated against key outcomes that address increased economic activity, extended asset life, improved public safety, and regional/community impact. This funding is in addition to the $747 million that Manitoba Infrastructure has budgeted for roads, highways, bridges and flood protection outside of Winnipeg for capital maintenance and the preservation of provincial infrastructure assets. MRIP is an important program to maintain basic infrastructure and our government looks forward to further important partnerships and we’re very pleased to see this move forward.
Growth puts pressure on infrastructure and as a government, we’re happy to partner together with the RM of Hanover and the City of Steinbach. Recently I had the opportunity to join with the Hanover Municipal Council to present a cheque for $400,000.00 as part of the MRIP announcement. The money has already been put to good use on putting down new asphalt on Ridge Road and adding asphalt to Park Bay in New Bothwell. This funding is important as Hanover is one of the fastest growing Rural Municipalities in western Canada. I also had the opportunity to join with the City of Steinbach Council to present a cheque for nearly $300,000.00 for summer street construction. Specifically an asphalt overlay program that will restore city streets and help prevent deterioration on Meadows and on McKenzie Avenue.
Some additional South-east Manitoba projects will include the Rural Municipality of La Broquerie: $225,000 for improvements to Carriere Road, Gerard Tetrault Road, Martel Road and Gueret Road. The Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne: $225,000 for Dawson Road reconstruction. The Town of Ste. Anne: $61,605 for Arena Road paving, the Rural Municipality of Tache: $387,500 for Belanger Drive and Laurin Street paving project, Local Urban District of Lorette Priority Routes Program for two miles of Prefontaine Road, and Station Road asphalt reconstruction in Lorette.
Our government is grateful to be able to partner with Manitobans and their municipal leaders to ensure these important infrastructure improvements move forward.
