More than 70% of the highways capital program for 2025/26 is committed and under contract already, Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure reported at a program review meeting March 3 with MHCA and ACEC-MB.
That includes more than 84% of highway projects funding and 59% of funding for structures and interchanges. MTI senior administration said that this included 341 projects highways/structures, 198 projects in other infrastructure, water-related and flood mitigation projects.
The program review meeting discussed a number of key items the department and the heavy construction industry wanted to address, out of the 2024 season and looking ahead this year.
The department noted a priority is to focus on reducing unplanned carryover of projects; it saw 72 highways and 16 structure/interchange projects in unplanned carryover from 2024, and 36 other projects.
MTI also said it recently hired a manager to lead and develop departmental policy to ensure good asset management planning, including setting performance metrics, and reporting on inventory and condition.
The department said it was committed to following the prompt payment rules now included in the Builders’ Liens Act. MHCA raised concerns with the delay in payment, either progress or final, from MTI projects; the association said it would survey members for their experiences on the issue and submit some details to the department for follow up.
The MHCA asked for additional work on four key priorities for 2025:
- Early tendering of engineering assignment, which is foundational to early tender/awards to the industry
- Increased reliability of the tender ad schedule
- Tender and awards 80% of the highways capital program by the end of February, each year
- Improve flow of payments and ensure they align with the Builders’ Liens Act
To view the MTI presentation, click here.
