About the Project
On November 30, 2021, members of Council, staff and residents celebrated the grand opening of the new Island Park Causeway in Portage la Prairie. The new
Island Park Causeway project is complete and has officially opened after many years of planning and construction.
The Island Park Causeway is a three-lane low level causeway with a culvert structure, including roundabouts at the north and south intersections, and an active transportation pathway. The roundabouts have been designed to accommodate truck movements in all directions.
The new Causeway replaces the 700 foot long, two lane timber bridge originally constructed in the late 1920’s and provides improved traffic flow as well as a beautiful entrance to Island Park.
Funding for the $8.87 million causeway project was sourced from the Canada Community-Building Fund and Federal Restart Funds with the remaining $1 million being a City of Portage la Prairie debenture of which the payments will all be made over the next 2 years by CCBF contributions in those years.
Timeline
| Date (YYYY-MM-DD) | Event | Attachments |
|---|---|---|
| 2008-02-11 | The Structural Assessment of the Island Park Bridge Report by KGS Group was accepted by Council approving that up to $150,000 funding be included in the 2008 budget to undertake the short term rehabilitation measures identified by KGS Group and to construct a one lane causeway to the Island to be designated as a truck route only; and that consideration be given to including funding in the City’s ten year debt management plan to repair and reconstruct the existing bridge, or to construct a new permanent causeway to the Island. (Resolution 40/08) | Structural Assessment of Island Park Bridge 2008 |
| 2008-05-11 | Council awarded the tender for the construction of a Temporary Causeway to Island Park to EF Moon Construction Ltd. for the tendered price of $268,800.00, excluding GST. Carried. (Resolution 142/08) | May 12 2008 Council Minutes |
| 2008-05-26 | Truck Route / Causeway Delegations – five residents of Tupper Street and Crescent Road appeared with concerns regarding the proposed causeway and parking. | |
| 2008-12-08 | Council passed By-Law No. 08-8413 – Road Opening – Royal Road Causeway (Resolution 363/08) | Bylaw 08-8413 Road Opening Road Road Causeway |
| 2010 | Council passed By-Law No. 10-8470 – Amendment to Traffic By-Law 01-8105 – Weight Restrictions on Royal Road Bridge (Resolution 47/10) | Bylaw 10-8470 Weight Restrictions Royal Rd Bridge |
| 2013 | The structural condition of Island Park Bridge was assessed in 2013 and included a requirement for urgent repairs. Those repairs were completed in 2013. These repairs were required for safe use of the bridge. Plans were also in place to address the long-term solution to cross to the island.
|
Sept 9, 2013 Council Minutes |
| 2014 | $50,000 included in the 2014 budget to conduct repairs on the Island Park bridge, and there is $60,000 in the budget for engineering design services for preliminary design and cost estimates for options to upgrade or renew the access to the Island, with an anticipated grant of $60,000 from the Municipal Bridge Program
|
April 28, 2014 Council Minutes |
| 2015 | $120,000 is included in the 2015 budget for engineers to design the replacement of the bridge to Island Park. The city will apply for 50% support from the Province through the Bridge Fund Program. (2015 Budget Speech) | |
| 2015-01-26 | Tender Award: Engineering Services for Island Park Bridge Conceptual Design (Resolution 18/15) | Jan 26, 2015 Council Minutes |
| 2015-02-19 | Conceptual Design stakeholder consultation meetings were held February 19th (Heritage Committee, Active Transportation Committee, Portage la Prairie Community Revitalization Corporation, Portage la Prairie Chamber of Commerce, etc,) A total of 12 stakeholders participated in the meetings, representing 11 organizations. (See Conceptual Design Final Report under 2015-07-13 post – public engagement starts on page 23) | |
| 2015-03-23 | Conceptual Design of the Island Park Bridge Replacement presented to Council | Island Park Bridge Presentation 2015-03-23 |
| 2015-04-09 | Conceptual Design Come and Go Public Open House was held April 9, 2015. Attendees met the project’s consultant team from AECOM, the City of Portage la Prairie project team, and members of Council for an open discussion of the proposed options. Feedback forms were available for comments. Design options and cost estimates were on display. Comments and feedback regarding the project were accepted until Friday April 24, 2015. (See Conceptual Design Final Report under 2015-07-13 post – public engagement starts on page 23) | Island Park Bridge Open House Boards |
| 2015-05-25 | AECOM presented the Conceptual Design of the Island Park Bridge Replacement Final Evaluation to City Council at their May 25, 2015 meeting. The presentation included a recap of alternatives, traffic analysis, public open house results, revised evaluation matrix and recommendations. The report will provide City Council the framework for discussions and decision making as they move forward with this project. | |
| 2015-07-13 | At their July 13, 2015 meeting, City Council accepted the Conceptual Design Final Report for the Island Park Bridge Replacement, and directed Administration to proceed with the issuance of a Request for Proposals for Engineering services for the development of preliminary designs and cost estimates for a three arch culvert design, subject to receipt of a Municipal Roads and Bridges grant | Conceptual Design of the Island Park Bridge Replacement Final Report |
| 2016-09-26 | Council accepted the Functional Design of the Crescent Lake Causeway Report as prepared by AECOM; and asked that be made available to the public on the City’s web site. | Sept 26, 2016 Council Minutes |
| 2018-07-09 | Council awarded the contract for Detailed Design of the Crescent Lake Causeway, to AECOM Canada Ltd. for the upset limit price of $449,271 plus PST. (Resolution 2018/0124) | Consulting Services – Detailed Design of the Crescent Lake Causeway |
| 2019-01-28 | Council accepted the Detailed Design Report for the Crescent Lake Causeway as prepared by AECOM; and that the project proceeds to tender. (Resolution 2019/0019) | Detailed Design of the Crescent Lake Causeway |
| 2019-04-26 | Council awarded the Crescent Lake Causeway Construction contract to Maple Leaf Construction Ltd. for the tendered price of $8,186,749.00 not including GST. (Resolution 2019/0076) | Award of Contract – Crescent Lake Causeway Construction |
| 2019-05-01 | May 2019 – Demolition work delayed due to barn swallows nesting in structure | |
| 2019-06-03 | Started widening the gravel roadway on the temporary causeway to two lanes with a pedestrian path in advance of the bridge being torn down. | |
| 2019-09-16 | The week of September 16, 2019, the Island Park Bridge was closed, and demolition / removal started. | |
| 2019-09 to 2019-11 | Rock fill, geotextile, and vertical drains installed | |
| 2019-12 to 2020-12 | 1 year of settlement of fill | |
| 2021 (Winter / Spring / Summer) | Construction – Excavating and installing piles, construction of three arched concrete culvert foundations, construction of roundabouts, pouring concrete collars and concrete block wall installation, electrical conduit installation, installation of gravel base, forming of concrete curbs, paving, etc | |
| 2021-09-30 | Causeway and roundabouts opened to traffic from three directions September 30, 2021. Construction of the roadways on the west side of both roundabouts to take place next. | |
| 2021-10-18 | Started removing rock from the temporary causeway to start shaping for landscaping and installing curbs and concrete islands on the south and the north side of roundabouts. | |
| 2021-11-10 | Construction of the roadways on the west side of the roundabouts is complete, and they opened to traffic from all directions. Work will continue on landscaping, lighting and the pocket park until project construction is complete. | |
| 2021-11-30 | Grand Opening | News Release – Island Park Causeway Grand Opening |
| Column 1 Value 29 | Column 2 Value 29 | Column 3 Value 29 |
Navigating Roundabouts
Roundabouts are easy to use, and improve safety and traffic flow. The videos and other information on this website will help you learn how to safely use roundabouts, whether you’re a driver, pedestrian or cyclist. Learn more here: Navigating Roundabouts
Picture Gallery
