Winter highway closures cost the Manitoba economy millions. Work is underway to help prevent that

As winter bears down on Manitoba, highway closures are inevitable. Those closures — especially on the Trans-Canada Highway — can cost the Manitoba economy millions of dollars. 

But work happening along the province's busiest east-west corridor could help mitigate highway closures, while also helping the environment. 

The Manitoba Habitat Conservancy has been working since 2020 to revitalize and replant highway shelterbelts — rows of trees or shrubs that can shelter highways from strong winds that can build up snow and reduce visibility.

"The main thing we are looking at is the windbreak," said Kathy Murray, a habitat conservation specialist with the conservancy — a charitable organization that works to deliver conservation programs in the province.

Standing near a section of newly planted trees and shrubs east of Portage la Prairie, Murray said a 30-kilometre stretch of the Trans-Canada between Headingley and Portage has either had new shelterbelts planted, or had existing treelines revitalized.  

"This stretch of highway was chosen because it gets treacherous in the winter, and highway closures are often happening in this stretch," said Murray.

That section of Highway 1 was closed 24 times due to poor weather conditions between 2019 and 2023, according to figures provided by the Manitoba government. 

Murray said three rows of trees and shrubs were planted along the highway. The species chosen are all naturalized to Manitoba and able to withstand harsh growing conditions. 

"We chose a little beyond the typical shelterbelt plantings," she said, noting that larger trees were selected and transplanted so any benefits of the windbreak can be seen sooner. 

The shelterbelts also provide benefits to farm fields along the Trans-Canada — helping protect against topsoil erosion, while also attracting pollinators and helping lock in soil moisture in dry years, she said.

More plowing needed: trucking group

Aaron Dolyniuk, president of the Manitoba Trucking Association, told CBC News that each time there's a closure on Highway 1 — which spans about 490 kilometres across Manitoba — there's a hit to the economy.

"It grinds to a halt," Dolyniuk said.

That impact isn't just to truckers' time.

The trucking association analyzed closures during the winter of 2021-22 and found five such weather-related closures of Highway 1 west of Winnipeg cost operators a combined $3.2 million, factoring in time, delays and fuel. 

Dolyniuk said while restoring and planting shelterbelts is a good initiative, it is more of a long-term solution. More immediately, the trucking association has been pushing for the province to do more overnight snowplowing on major routes. 

"Trucking happens 24/7, 365 days a year," he said. "A lot of trucks plan to go at night, when there is less congestion. So right now if there is a snow event in Manitoba … it's not likely to be touched until the early morning hours."

A provincial website says major routes are supposed to be plowed within four hours of the end of a storm.

Manitoba Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said in a statement that the provincial government is committed to 24-hour snow clearing, but said aging equipment and staff vacancies need to be addressed first. 

The trucking association acknowledges labour shortages may prevent overnight snow clearing, so it has also asked the province to consider using more digital signage to advise drivers of road conditions. 

More trees could be planted 

The province has allocated $5.5 million for new shelterbelt planting since 2020, but 2024 is the last year that the Manitoba Habitat Conservancy has provincial funding for the project.

By the time planting is done, about 40 kilometres of Highway 1 are expected to have new or revitalized shelterbelts lining the highway. 

The Manitoba government hasn't said if the program will continue beyond 2024.

"Unfortunately, the actions of the previous [Progressive Conservative] government, including selling off the Pineland Forest Nursery, have harmed Manitoba's ability to create shelterbelts," a spokesperson for the NDP's Naylor said in a statement.

But if the shelterbelt project is successful, Murray hopes the idea can be implemented on other highways that see frequent winter closures as well. 

"It's a longer-term thing before we're hoping to see anything measurable in terms of the impacts," she said of the current project. 

But so far, "people seem to like it in general," Murray said. 

"There may be a little bit of windbreak value [so far] and we see little bits of snow collecting in the trees and in the ditch. 

"So it's something to start with." 

Manitoba planting shelterbelt ecozones to improve highway conditions

10 months ago

Duration 3:37

Rows of trees line Highway 1 west of Winnipeg in an effort to reduce blowing snow in severe winter weather. But shelterbelts are also helping the environment.