Municipality of Rhineland officials have set the stage for the rest of the year, setting out priorities and areas of focus. The plan was hashed out at the group's recent annual planning session involving administration, Council and the General Manager of the RPGA Planning District.
One of those priorities, noted Reeve Don Wiebe, is fringe area development, particularly with the Town of Altona along Highway 30. Development along the stretch, straddled by the Town on the west and the Municipality on the east, has been hampered in recent years over the ongoing access management plan proposed by Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.
Recently, the Province gave the green light for the two municipalities to seek out a firm that would conduct a traffic study on the highway that they feel could help resolve the issue.
"We need to know some traffic counts and so forth, and what can be done. My point is that it should be classified as a road (as) it's not really a bypass. Just consider it a highway and make it so we can consider development on both sides, particularly the east side. I think Altona has an interest in doing that too. It could be a shared venture," said Wiebe.
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Council is also considering a speed reduction pilot program on Road 9 NW in an effort to preserve some heavy investments that have gone into it.
"That's a new road that we've put a lot of energy into," explained Wiebe, noting the road base was fortified and drain tile installed to divert excess water. "It's a main road in Rhineland and one of the things that's hard on roads and bridges is speed, speed with heavy trucks. I think some other municipalities have tried this and we're thinking we should try this as an experiment because speed reduction, in Rhineland, on some of those key roads may well be worth it if you view the cost-benefit analysis on that."
The thought is to reduce the posted speed limit on the road to 70 km/h or 80 km/h. Wiebe noted, enforcement would be an important piece of the project, and he believes the RCMP would be on board with keeping an eye on the road.
In the area of Public Works, Wiebe says the Municipality will be providing additional drain maintenance support by purchasing a diamond cutting mower that can be used in wet conditions. Officials also plan to continue provincial lobby efforts as it relates to drains, bridges and low-level crossings. The Municipality is also eyeing up some expertise in managing its maintenance program including infrastructure projects and equipment.