One segment remains before the Highway 75 flood protection project is complete.

According to a provincial spokesperson, the final element involves an extension to the south Morris dike, along with associated grading and paving. The project will be tendered and constructed this year, with a targeted completion date for the fall.

Once finished, the Province says these and other significant upgrades will provide Highway 75 south of Morris with the flood protection necessary in the event of 2009 water levels - the second most severe Red River flood since 1950.

The northbound lanes of the major trade route have already been raised up to 1.2 metres from St. Jean Baptiste to just south of Morris.

Additional work includes replacing the Plum Creek bridge in the northbound lanes to match the new elevation and the replacement of the concrete box culverts at the Kronsgart Drain just south of Morris in both northbound and southbound lanes.

Meantime, Manitoba Infrastructure says it has identified detour routes in the event a 2009 level flood impacts travel along Highway 75 north of Morris this spring.

The department says Highway 75 is an important trade route that connects to the U.S. Interstate 29 at the Port of Emerson, which can remain open during such flood events.

In 2021, a section of PR 246 was upgraded north of Morris to RTAC standards to serve as that alternate route.

According to Manitoba’s Hydrologic Forecast Centre, there is a high risk of major spring flooding along the Red River main stem, and unfavourable weather conditions would lead to levels similar to 2009.