Work to improve both the infrastructure and aesthetic appeal of Saskatchewan Avenue West is expected to begin later this year, which is music to the ears of Portage la Prairie Mayor Irvine Ferris.

"Anybody that's been down there will see this is really an unfinished part of our our main street that's been that way for forever," says Ferris. "Right now, if you're down there shopping or going to restaurants, there are no curbs, there are no gutters, there is gravel on the side. The drainage is really bad. After it rains if you pull into a restaurant there and you park, chances are you can get a boot-full."

The multi-phased project is contingent on both provincial and federal funding, and the City is currently in the negotiating process to secure dollars through the Investing In Canada Infrastructure Program. Phase one of the project calls for the relocation and renewal of utility infrastructure to the gravel shoulders along the avenue, while phase two - which is scheduled to take place between 2022-2024 - will see the rebuilding of Saskatchewan Avenue West, including sidewalks, bike paths, green space, parking spaces, and enhanced land drainage.

"This infrastructure in place is about 80 years old. It's way overdue for replacement," says Ferris. "Often this time of year you'll see our operations staff out working on watermain breaks and when the infrastructure gets that old and you get cold weather, you could have a break. We spend a lot of time and money (fixing) a tiny section of it. So by replacing this we should save a lot of money over time and certainly over the length of the project, save a lot of money on repairs."

One factor that has caused the west end of Saskatchewan Avenue to sit largely unfinished for so long is that the Province maintains the roadway while the shoulders and business fronts start blending into municipally controlled land. Now thanks to the federal government's infrastructure program, the finger pointing in regards to who should be footing the bill can end and the necessary work can begin.

"The total cost is estimated to be about $34 million for the project. Certainly it's something we've been looking at for awhile and you know with the infrastructure funding that's available, it certainly makes it doable sooner rather than later," says the Mayor. "So we're pretty excited to see this move ahead. Obviously this funding ensures that the project can be accomplished within our borrowing capacity and so it makes it doable from a financial perspective."

The City expects that phase two of this project will attract considerable public interest and plan to hold an open house to provide citizens with more information later this year. No increase in property taxes or utility rates are expected as a result of this project. A date for the public consultation has yet to be made because of the constant restriction changes surrounding COVID-19, but Ferris says they hope to hold it some time this year.