Hydro orders work stoppage on section of Southwest Transitway

Manitoba Hydro has ordered a work stoppage on a section of the Southwest Transitway, citing concerns that include excavations that come too close to hydro transmission lines.

Hydro ordered work be stopped on the second phase of the bus corridor on Aug. 8 after inspectors raised 10 concerns with work underway south of Clarence Avenue and north of Bishop GrandinBoulevard, Hydro spokesperson Bruce Owen said Wednesday.

The city and private construction consortium Plenary Roads are in the midst of a $467-million project that includes the extension of the Southwest Transitway from Jubilee Avenue to the University of Manitoba's Fort Garry campus and the widening of Pembina Highway below the Jubilee overpass.

A north-south stretch of the southern leg of the corridor utilizes a Manitoba Hydro right of way, west of the Beaumont and Maybankneighbourhoods in Fort Garry.

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"Some of the excavation on the site has come very close and in some instances exposed the foundation of the towers and their footings," Owen said in a telephone interview.

He said while there is no threat a tower could come down, there is a threat a worker could be electrocuted if the integrity of a tower was compromised.

He also said Hydro wants to ensure no construction materials are laid down in the wrong place.

"We want to, in a manner of speaking, nip this in the bud," Owen said."If rebarwas to go down and concrete to go downand everything set and then we come along and say, 'No, that's not good, youhave to redo it,' that's going to cost someone a lot of money to redo."

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Owen said Hydro also raised concerns with vehicles parked in the wrong place and trees stored beneath hydro lines.

He said the city has already addressed some of the concerns and work will resume within two weeks.

Meanwhile, work is continuing on the rest of the transitway project.

"While we are experiencing temporary delays on two of the 12 project construction sites (the Clarence and Seel park-and-ride lots), stakeholder discussions are ongoing," Winnipeg Transit spokesperson Alissa Clark said in an emailed statement.

"Delays of this nature are common on major infrastructure projects like this, and are not expected to affect the project timeline or budget."

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The second leg of the Southwest Transitway is expected to be complete in 2020. A spur line to Investors Group Field opened in 2017.