As the summer months continue, the City of Portage la Prairie looks to be taking full advantage of the good weather by continuing construction projects across the city.
Unfortunately for drivers, however, that means road closures and detours are being added to their commutes.
One such project starts work Monday, shutting down the westbound lane of Saskatchewan Avenue between Tupper Street and Third Street.
Thankfully, though, it won't be for an egregious period, and is part of crucial municipal infrastructure repairs.
Karly Friesen, director of utilities for the city of Portage la Prairie, explains that, "The water works crew needs to repair a valve that's located in the intersection of Royal Road and Saskatchewan Avenue, so to make sure that their work area is safe, we do need to close Saskatchewan Avenue for westbound traffic."
The detour around the area will take drivers up Third Street, down Lorne Avenue, and then back down Tupper Street to Saskatchewan Avenue, where westbound traffic will continue freely from there.
She adds that the intention is to start closing the road around 8 A.M. on Monday, August 11th, and the road will remain closed until the work is finished, which Friesen says will likely be in the early evening on Tuesday, August 12th.
Friesen notes that this type of repair is fairly normal, but the location of this particular valve demands a longer road closure in order to properly divert traffic.
She does note, however, that "the eastbound lane of Saskatchewan avenue will still be open to traffic, and that businesses on the North side will still be accessible to pedestrian traffic. We still encourage citizens to get out and support those businesses, even if they can't park on that side of the street."
As residents head into next week, they're encouraged to plan ahead, giving themselves extra time to get to their destination if they plan to take the detour.
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