The changeover of provincial governments has caused many motorists, especially those who reside along Hwy 227, to inquire whether the roadway is going to be paved. RM of Portage la Prairie Councillor Garth Asham says there is news, but it's not very positive.
"Kyle Hamilton, our chief administrative officer, and I met with Lisa Naylor (Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure) probably a little more than a month ago. She informed us that at this time, the present government is not going ahead with the project to pave 227. That's a big surprise for us. Also, it would have taken traffic off of Hwy #1, which I thought was one of the goals in the first place."
He says the benefits of cutting down traffic on the Trans-Canada between Portage and Winnipeg are self-evident. Asham notes this would have been a great plus for those from the northern area and South Central Manitoba.
"It's a shortcut to Winnipeg, and it just makes sense to have some better routes. I don't agree with the government ignoring infrastructure all the time. People aren't happy, and that's par for the course. I realize that there's only so many dollars to go around. There are a lot of places to put that money. However, that being said, I still say infrastructure can't be ignored much longer. It's getting to the point where our roads are in tough shape."
Asham emphasizes that plenty of infrastructure work remains to be addressed, and this government or the next simply has to deal with it eventually and put some dollars toward it throughout the province.
"What I know is the previous government said they were going to go ahead and pave it. When this government got in—the present NDP government—they've put a hold on things. Whether it be political, whether it be financial, or whether they just don't have the wherewithal to do it, I can't say. But I will say that it was a sensible project, and Minister Naylor has assured us that 227 will get some much-needed upgrades in terms of gravel and stuff. When that's going to happen? I don't know because the road is in terrible condition due to every bit of moisture we get."
He points out that when governments promise any given plan, people expect those things to come to fruition, and yet nothing has been done about the 227.
"Politically, we're a conservative riding sitting in the middle of an NDP government," adds Asham. "Whether that comes into play or not, I suppose it does. But at the same time, infrastructure has to be definitely on the table for any government right now. It's disappointing, and there are spots on this road. I took pictures before we went to the meeting and showed Minister Naylor some of the really bad muddy spots. She did suggest that they might place some gravel. Once again, I will say that nothing's been done, and that's unfortunate and not too responsible. When you tell somebody something, I expect it to be done."
Asham summarizes the situation by noting he lives in that area, and to the west of his home toward Highway 16, any amount of moisture will turn the roadway into a sloppy, muddy mess.
"There's no gravel on it. That's the problem. There's just no gravel in spots. I give some credit to the government employees that go out there with the graders and try and blade, but you can't blade anything when there's no material to use. That's part of the problem. For stretches of, say, 100 yards, it's just totally mud. For some reason, there's just no attention given to it, and it's totally lacking gravel."