Niverville partners with province on PR 311

The province and Town of Niverville are partnering to fund road improvements on Provincial Road 311, which also functions as the town’s Main Street, in hopes of serving more businesses and residents.

The $17.7 million project, with $9.7 million coming from Manitoba, will include expanding the roadway to four lanes on the western half of the project, adding a new roundabout and turning lanes. That work will be done from Wallace Road to Arena Road.

The improvements, announced on April 17, will also include road resurfacing and drainage ending at 5th Avenue. Businesses along Main Street will contend with two years of detours when work begins.

The Niverville Olde Tyme Country Fair, an August festival that happens on Main Street, currently remains unaffected, said Mayor Myron Dyck, noting the town will alert contractors about the festival.

“There is a lot of interest in the community, and this roadway will go a long way that even in a couple of years it will take to build this, we will see significant investment in business and in housing,” he said during a press conference. “A population that is currently 8,000, in 10 to 15 years time will be closer to (15,000 to 20,000), and we will be Manitoba’s newest city.”

Dyck said council has green lighted an 80-acre development at the town’s western boundary and is waiting on the province’s approval. Additional drainage will be dug along with the slated road improvements.

Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said the project aims to address safety concerns as traffic increases on the roadway.

“This project reflects our shared commitment to supporting growth safety and long term infrastructure needs in Niverville and we look forward to continuing the strong partnership,” she said.

Former Niverville Mayor Gordon Daman, who served as mayor from 2002 to 2006, sees the improvements as helping grow the town and its property tax base because of potential new developments.

“Over time, these types of decisions shape something deeper. They shape communities where people don’t just pass through, but where they choose to stay, to invest, and ultimately, where they belong,” he said.

Juliette Hagopian, owner of the 25,000 sq. ft. film studio Jette Studios, located at the corner of PR 311 and Wallace Road, sees the roadwork as the next step for adding more services for the area.

“This is really good because that means that I can get all the infrastructure that’s required for the building because I’m limited right now,” she said, adding that the studio doesn’t have natural gas.

Hagopian said the new improvements will also reduce risk when turning onto Wallace Road because its dangerous turning with no lane when people drive 100 km/h.

Construction is expected to begin later this year and last for two years. Dyck said a request for proposal has already been submitted.

The project will also transfer the jurisdictional responsibility for the road improvements in the town’s limits from the province to Niverville, while the province will still maintain the traffic lights.