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The City of Winnipeg, Canada, has selected Plenary Roads Winnipeg as the preferred bidder for the construction of the Southwest Rapid Transitway (Stage 2) and Pembia Highway Underpass PPP project. 

This announcement comes after a request for proposals (RFP) process which concluded in March 2016. Plenary Roads Winnipeg beats out competition from Red River Infrastructure Group and WinnCity Transportation Partners. The wining team is composed of  Plenary Group Canada, PCL Constructors Canada Inc. and Alberta Highway Services Limited (a division of ColasCanada Inc).

Naming the preferred bidder is a necessary step that allows the City to begin working with the preferred bidder to complete the financial and contractual obligations required to award the contract. Construction works are expected to begin in the summer of 2016, with completion in late 2019. Following a period of testing, training and commissioning, Transit operations on the new transitway are expected to commence in April 2020.

The Southwest Rapid Transitway (Stage 2) and Pembina Highway Underpass Project is comprised of significant infrastructure components in the southwest quadrant of the city including: the completion of Stage 2 of the Southwest Transitway, the addition of active transportation infrastructure, the renewal and expansion of the Pembina Underpass, and connections to the University of Manitoba and Investors Group Field.

The project will be developed on a design, build, finance, operate, maintain (DBFOM) basis. The private partner will maintain it over a 30-year concession period from 2019 until 2049. The operations/maintenance component will not include the operation or maintenance of Winnipeg Transit buses.

The total project investment is estimated at CAD$587.3 million (US$453.8 million). 

The project will help accommodate anticipated population growth in southwest Winnipeg that is expected to lead to an estimated 40 per cent traffic increase on Pembina Highway by 2030. Once completed, the project improvements, which are consistent with the Council-approved Transportation Master Plan (2011), will allow for transportation options (buses, active transportation, cars, and trucks) to operate in a more sustainable and integrated manner. These benefits will begin upon project completion and last well into the future.

Mayor Brian Bowman stated:

“Winnipeg is a growing, thriving city, and building a modern and efficient public transportation system is essential to support our city’s growth. When completed, the Southwest Transitway will allow Winnipeg Transit to bypass heavy traffic volumes on Pembina Highway, leading to greater on-time reliability, higher travel speeds, and improved service to the surrounding neighbourhoods.”

Additionally, the city has launched a RFP seeking to undertake a functional study to examine possible routes for a rapid transit corridor connecting east Winnipeg with the downtown. A functional study sets out the conceptual design, identifies associated transportation improvements as well as the broad implementation strategy for the next rapid transit route. It represents the initial step toward implementing the next rapid transit corridor.