Without question, residents of St. Adolphe, not to mention the daily commuters who travel through the town, anxiously await a planned rehabilitation project for the town’s Main Street.

Last summer, St. Adolphe’s main drag was finally added to the provincial government’s project map for surface repair. Those repairs are expected to extend beyond mere pothole patching.

According to Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure (MTI), 1.8 kilometres of street will undergo asphalt resurfacing, catch basin replacement, and minor curb rehabilitation. Work will commence at the intersection of Highway 210 and move southward from there.

No official start date has been announced, but MTI says crews will begin in the summer and work towards an anticipated completion in the fall, pending weather.

The project is estimated to cost the province $3.7 million. Comparatively speaking, that comes to approximately $1 million more than the total estimated cost of Île-des-Chênes’s Main Street renewal of 2024.

The Île-des-Chênes project, estimated by the RM at $2.7 million last spring, became a cost-share initiative between the province, the RM, and local developers. The province covered $1 million.

“The RM of Ritchot’s investment is for components of the project beyond the surface of the highway such as improved sidewalks, bicycle paths, and other improvements that fall under the municipality’s jurisdiction,” MTI told The Citizen at that time. “By partnering together, all improvements can be completed in one project, resulting in various efficiencies.”

The MTI spokesperson then added that they are always willing to consider municipal requests and proposals for cost-sharing upgrades.

At their morning public meeting on April 1, Ritchot council voted unanimously in favour of supporting the St. Adolphe Main Street project, a resolution requested by MTI prior to the start of roadwork.

According to Ritchot’s CAO Mitch Duval, the municipality’s participation on the St. Adolphe project will be less involved than for Île-des-Chênes.

“Unlike Main Street in IDC, the RM is not pursuing acquisition or cost-sharing initiatives for Main Street in St. Adolphe,” Duval says. “However, we remain committed to working with the province to improve traffic conditions in St. Adolphe. This includes the existing 30-kilometre school zone, requested speed reductions south of town, strategic pedestrian accesses, and improvements at the intersection of PR 200 and PR 210.”

Duval’s reference to acquisition is in regard to the RM’s intention to appeal to the province for jurisdiction over Île-des-Chênes’s Main Street after the work’s completion.

As to whether the level of renewal in St. Adolphe will come anywhere close to the work done in Île-des-Chênes last year, MTI has so far provided only vague details.

“The project is a thin lift overlay, which is a layer of pavement that is applied to the surface which will greatly improve the surface conditions and extend the service life of PR 200,” MTI says.

Between the work scheduled for St. Adolphe’s Main Street, the planned closure of the Red River Floodway bridge, and continuing construction on the Louis Riel Bridge in Ste. Agathe this summer, 2025 should prove to be an interesting summer for local commuters.