Perimeter Highway (Winnipeg) Explained

Province:MB
Type:Both
Route:100
Alternate Name:Winnipeg By-Pass
Map Custom:yes
Map Notes:Perimeter Highway highlighted in red.
Maint:Manitoba Infrastructure
Length Km:89.5
Established:1955
Beltway City:Winnipeg, Manitoba
Allocation:
    Length Km1:40.0
    Direction A:East
    Direction B:West
    Junction1:
      Length Km2:49.5
      Junction2:
        Spur Type:Hwy
        Spur Of:1
        Cities:Winnipeg
        Previous Type:Hwy
        Previous Route:89
        Next Type:Hwy
        Next Route:110

        Provincial Trunk Highways (PTH) 100 and 101, collectively known as the Perimeter Highway, form a beltway around the Canadian city of Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Perimeter Highway is approximately in length and serves as a ring road around Winnipeg for through traffic. It is often considered by local residents to be the city's unofficial boundary, although approximately three-quarters of the Perimeter Highway actually lies in the other municipalities within the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region.

        Route

        The beltway consists of two provincial highways connected at separate junctions with PTH 1, the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH), on the east and west sides of the Winnipeg. The North Perimeter highway is officially designated PTH 101 and is part of Canada's National Highway System. The South Perimeter highway is designated PTH 100 and is the official TCH bypass around Winnipeg but not part of the National Highway System. The entire route is a four-lane divided expressway with a mixture of interchanges and at-grade intersections. After many highway authorities in Canada have moved away from the cloverleaf interchange in favour of other designs, Winnipeg has the most cloverleafs of any city in Canada, with all six being on the Perimeter Highway.

        History, ongoing work, and future upgrades

        The highway was originally built in 1955 to bypass city centre rush hour traffic. This was done in lieu of a more expensive freeway system within the Capital Region. The South Perimeter Highway bridge across the Red River and roadway at Pembina Highway/PTH 75 south was constructed in 1958. The job was tendered to Peter Leitch Construction Ltd. at a cost of $188,670. In December 1957, Dominion Bridge was awarded the contract ($80,157) to supply the structural steel for the overpass.[1] When constructed, the Perimeter Highway was located entirely in surrounding municipalities well outside of Winnipeg's official city limits, however roughly one-quarter of the highway is now inside proper city limits following the municipal amalgamation of Winnipeg in 1972.

        The Perimeter Highway was originally unconnected between PTH 59 and PTH 15 as PTH 59 had received significant upgrades, making the need for a northeast section less pressing. PTH 59 continued to serve as the de facto northeast leg of the Perimeter until the mid-1990s, when PTH 59 and PTH 15 were connected. The last remaining two-lane section was the PTH 59 north interchange, which was upgraded over a three-year span ending in 2018.[2] [3] The highway now encircles Winnipeg as a four-lane roadway.

        Improvements were made to the western segment of the highway in the early 2010s when PTH 190, Centreport Canada Way, was constructed. In addition to the interchange that connected to this new highway, a flyover was constructed over Saskatchewan Avenue (PR 425) and the adjacent railway crossing; and the median was closed at the entrance to Assiniboia Downs leaving only right-in/right-out access from the southbound side.

        In 2018, the province announced its intention to upgrade the South Perimeter Highway to a limited-access freeway, the starting point of which was to close a number of uncontrolled median openings and accesses.[4] This was followed by the release of a full South Perimeter Highway Design Study that proposed a set of upgrades to transform PTH 100 into a six-lane, free-flowing, limited-access freeway.[5] The full vision for the freeway design would be realized through two multi-year phases, with some of the upgrades potentially tying in with a new by-pass around St. Norbert.[6] [7] Initial upgrades include the ongoing construction and improvement of various service roads,[8] and the construction of multiple interchanges to replace the various traffic lights on the highway.

        The first major upgrade from this plan, the replacement of the traffic signals at St. Mary's Road with an interchange, is expected to be complete by 2024.[9] Following its completion, the traffic signals at PTH 3 (McGillivray Blvd) in Oak Bluff will be replaced with an interchange,[10] a project that is currently in the planning and detailed design phase. Recently, the government announced the start of the planning phase for the next major construction project, which will collectively replace the traffic signals at St. Anne's Road with an interchange, and replace the adjacent at-grade CPR crossing with an overpass.[11]

        In 2021, the government announced a comparable proposal to upgrade the North Perimeter Highway, PTH 101, to full freeway standards.[12] [13] The first portion of this upgrade included the closure of multiple uncontrolled medians and accesses.[14] A larger functional design study has since been commissioned to determine the final recommendations for the North Perimeter Highway, which is expected to be complete by 2025.[15]

        Exits and crossings

        Exit numbering begins at Fermor Avenue and increases clockwise.

        See also

        External links

        Notes and References

        1. News: January 30, 1958. Giant Overpass, Bridge For City Perimeter Route. The Winnipeg Tribune.
        2. News: Rollason. Kevin. Work starts on interchange at Perimeter, Highway 59. 6 September 2015.
        3. News: Lawson. Kim. Cloverleaf at Perimeter, Hwy 59 Under Construction. AM 680 CJOB. 6 September 2015.
        4. News: Median access along Perimeter to close. October 21, 2018. Winnipeg Free Press.
        5. News: South Perimeter Highway Design Study. June 2020. Government of Manitoba.
        6. News: South Perimeter Highway Safety Plan. 2019. Manitoba Government.
        7. News: Properties in potential paths of bypass project. January 15, 2019. CTV News.
        8. News: MANITOBA GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES START OF NEXT PHASE OF PERIMETER HIGHWAY SAFETY CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. August 15, 2022. Government of Manitoba.
        9. News: Manitoba government plans new interchange for South Perimeter Highway. June 29, 2020. Global News.
        10. News: PROVINCE ANNOUNCES NEW INTERCHANGE TO BE CONSTRUCTED AT PERIMETER HIGHWAY AND PTH 3. June 22, 2021. Government of Manitoba.
        11. News: PROVINCE ANNOUNCES NEW INTERCHANGE TO BE CONSTRUCTED AT PERIMETER HIGHWAY AND PTH 3. June 22, 2021. Government of Manitoba.
        12. News: Manitoba looks to improve safety on North Perimeter Highway. March 22, 2021. Global News.
        13. News: MANITOBA ANNOUNCES ONLINE ENGAGEMENT FOR PHASE 2 OF PERIMETER HIGHWAY SAFETY REVIEW. March 21, 2022. Government of Manitoba.
        14. News: North Perimeter Highway safety upgrades begin Monday. July 25, 2021. Global News.
        15. News: Functional Design Study PTH 101 (West JCT PTH 1 to East JCT PTH 1). February 2023. Government of Manitoba.