Manitoba’s Transportation Minister says enough with the delays and work on upgrading Highway #23 will get underway in 2022.

The contracts were awarded a few summers ago but work has yet to begin on upgrading the highway between highway #10 and Highway #34.

“I actually went back to the heavy construction industry and said look that project was tendered and awarded and a couple of contractors have failed to get onto those highways and start the work. I also said that’s not going to be the case this year.”

Highway #23 runs through the middle of Piwniuk’s Turtle Mountain constituency and he’s all too familiar with the shape of that highway system. “They’ll be out there this year reconstructing Highway #23 because we’ve had the money allocated and we need to make sure the contractors who get these jobs get the work done.”

Doyle Piwniuk wants the industry to know improving Manitoba’s highway system is a priority and the work needs to be done.

“We have the two different contractors and they should be starting close to the same time. I’m hoping that from Highway #10 to Highway #18 gets done. They’ll be doing stretches and I believe 10 to 18 will be done first and there will be a stretch between Highway #5 and Highway #34 that will be done because there are two different contractors” said Piwniuk.

The upgrade project will include some detours for motorists. “Some re-routing and some inconvenience for a period of time but no pain no gain right.”