Government coalition pledges funds for Manitoba to Mexico superhighway

WINNIPEG (March 9) — The Winnipeg Development Agreement, a coalition of federal, Manitoba, and City of Winnipeg governments, pledged $20,000 to develop high-tech safety and enforcement systems for a proposed trade corridor between Manitoba and Mexico.

The funds will be used to draft a plan among jurisdictions involved in the so-called Mid-Continent International Trade Corridor to deploy Intelligent Transportation Systems along the route. The proposed corridor threads through Manitoba and 11 states along Interstate highways 35, 29, 80, and 94.

Using transponders to transmit and accept data, ITS would allow truckers to see information on weather forecasts, the location and availability of driver rest stops, and traffic reports in real time, without stopping. It would also mean trucks, drivers, and loads could be inspected once as the vehicle moves along the corridor by relaying data among state, federal, and international authorities.

In total, the cost of the planning study is expected to be $1 million, according to WDA officials. Some $800,000 has been applied for by the corridor jurisdictions under the National Corridor Planning and Development (NCPD) program of the U.S. Transportation Equity Act, or TEA 21, the U.S. highway funding program. The participating jurisdictions have agreed to fund the balance. The Missouri Dept. of Transportation will be the lead jurisdiction for the study.

A portion of the WDA funds will be used to work with North Dakota to plan and implement a model that will reduce delays, improve cargo security and enhance traffic safety at the Pembina/Emerson crossing and other “second-tier” border crossings. The process is expected to result in better co-ordination of cross-border planning with respect to infrastructure and regulatory improvements, the WDA said.