Manitoba announces road closures as rivers continue to rise

WINNIPEG — Rising flood waters are being blamed for the pending closure of Highway 75 at Morris, Man.

The main link between Winnipeg and the U.S. border will shut at 2 p.m. today and traffic will be rerouted through local detours. In addition, B-trains will not be allowed access to Highway 3 while the detour is in place.

The move is expected to have a considerable impact on trucking companies facing thousands of extra dollars in travel time and fuel costs, as well as the Morris commercial sector, which is already experiencing a drastic drop in business.

The move comes about a week after the province originally estimated the flood-plagued highway might become impassable.

Crews are set to begin "ramping" the dike by reinforcing it with gravel.

During the 2009 flood, Highway 75 was closed for 35 days, which was about average for a flood year. That closure added $1.5 million a week to the cost of trucking goods back and forth between Canada and the United States, the Manitoba Trucking Association estimated at the time.

Provincial flood experts have also determined that ice jams along the Assiniboine between Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg could cause significant flooding.

The crests of the Red and the Assiniboine rivers, are still due in Winnipeg at about the same time, between April 27 and May 3.

This year’s flood covers the largest area in Manitoba’s history.