Winter highway closures cost the Manitoba economy millions. Work is underway to help prevent that - Action News
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Manitoba

Winter highway closures cost the Manitoba economy millions. Work is underway to help prevent that

Winter highway closures especially on the Trans-Canada can cost the Manitoba economy millions of dollars.But work along the east-west corridor could help mitigate highway closures, while also helping the environment.

Shelterbelts are being planted and revitalized along Manitoba's busiest east-west corridor

A look at Highway 1 from above.
The Trans-Canada Highway spans roughly 490 kilometres across Manitoba. The Manitoba Trucking Association analyzed Highway 1 closures during the winter of 2021-22, and found five such weather-related closures west of Winnipeg cost operators a combined $3.2 million. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

As winter bears down on Manitoba, highway closures are inevitable. Those closures especially on the Trans-Canada Highway can cost the Manitoba economy millions of dollars.

But work happening along the province's busiest east-west corridor could help mitigate highway closures, while also helping the environment.

The Manitoba Habitat Conservancy has been working since 2020 to revitalize and replant highway shelterbelts rows of trees or shrubs that can shelter highways from strong winds that can build up snow and reduce visibility.

"The main thing we are looking at is the windbreak," said Kathy Murray, a habitat conservation specialist with the conservancy a charitable organization that works to deliver conservation programs in the province.

Standing near a section of newly planted trees and shrubs east of Portage la Prairie, Murray said a 30-kilometre stretch ofthe Trans-Canada between Headingley and Portage has either had new shelterbelts planted, or had existing treelines revitalized.

A woman stands in front of a row of trees planted next to the Trans-Canada Highway.
Kathy Murray at the Manitoba Habitat Conservancy says work done to help reduce closures on a section of the Trans-Canada could be tried elsewhere if it is successful. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

"This stretch of highway was chosen because it gets treacherous in the winter, and highway closures are often happening in this stretch," said Murray.

That section ofHighway 1 was closed 24 times due to poor weather conditions between 2019 and 2023, according to figures provided by the Manitoba government.

Murray said three rows of trees and shrubs were planted along the highway. The species chosen are all naturalized to Manitoba and able to withstand harsh growing conditions.

"We chose a little beyond the typical shelterbelt plantings," she said, noting that larger trees were selected and transplanted so any benefits of the windbreak can be seen sooner.

Theshelterbelts also provide benefits to farm fields along the Trans-Canada helping protect against topsoil erosion, while also attracting pollinators and helping lock in soil moisture in dry years, she said.

More plowing needed: trucking group

Aaron Dolyniuk, president of the Manitoba Trucking Association, told CBC News that each time there's a closure on Highway 1 whichspans about 490 kilometres across Manitoba there's a hit to the economy.

"It grinds to a halt," Dolyniuk said.

That impact isn'tjust to truckers' time.

The trucking association analyzed closures during the winter of 2021-22 andfound five such weather-related closures of Highway 1 west of Winnipeg cost operators a combined $3.2 million, factoring in time, delays and fuel.

Dolyniuk said while restoring and planting shelterbelts is a good initiative, it is more of a long-term solution. More immediately, thetrucking association has been pushing for the province to do more overnight snowplowing on major routes.

"Trucking happens 24/7, 365 days a year," he said. "A lot of trucks plan to go at night, when there is less congestion. So right now if there is a snow event in Manitoba it's not likely to be touched until the early morning hours."

A row of trees next to a 4-lane highway.
Three rows of trees have been planted along a 30-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway west of Winnipeg. This section of highway is prone to closures and poor winter conditions. (Jaison Empson/CBC)

A provincial website says major routes are supposed to be plowed within four hours of the end of a storm.

Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said in a statement that the provincial government is committed to24-hour snow clearing, but saidaging equipment and staff vacancies need to beaddressedfirst.

The trucking association acknowledgeslabour shortages may prevent overnight snow clearing, so ithas also asked the province to consider usingmore digital signage to advisedrivers of road conditions.

More trees could be planted

The province has allocated $5.5 million for new shelterbeltplanting since 2020, but 2024 isthe last year thatthe Manitoba Habitat Conservancy has provincial funding for theproject.

By the time planting is done, about 40 kilometres of Highway 1 are expected to have new or revitalized shelterbelts lining the highway.

The Manitoba government hasn't said if the program will continue beyond 2024.

"Unfortunately, the actions of the previous [Progressive Conservative] government, including selling off the Pineland Forest Nursery, have harmed Manitoba's ability to create shelterbelts," a spokesperson for the NDP'sNaylor said in a statement.

But if the shelterbeltproject issuccessful, Murray hopes the idea can be implemented on other highways that see frequent winter closures as well.

"It's a longer-term thing before we're hoping to see anything measurable in terms of the impacts," she said of the current project.

But so far, "people seem to like it in general," Murray said.

"There may be a little bit of windbreak value [so far] and we see little bits of snow collecting in the trees and in the ditch.

"So it's something to start with."

Manitoba planting shelterbelt ecozones to improve highway conditions

7 months ago
Duration 3:37
Rows of trees line Highway 1 west of Winnipeg in an effort to reduce blowing snow in severe winter weather. But shelterbelts are also helping the environment.

Clarifications

  • An earlier version of this story said the province allocated $2.5 million in 2020 for the new shelterbelt planting. In fact, that was the amount for 2020-22 work. The province has allocated a total of $5.5 million for planting since 2020.
    Jan 23, 2024 1:21 PM CT

Corrections

  • An earlier version of this story said that the species chosen for the shelterbelt were all native to Manitoba. In fact, they are naturalized to Manitoba.
    Jan 23, 2024 1:21 PM CT