Contract Administration and Construction Inspection for PTH 59 (US Border to PR 403) – MB

Dillon was retained by Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure to provide Contract Administration and Construction Inspection of Roadworks for the bituminous reconstruction of PTH 59 from the US Border to PR 403.

PTH 59 South is an important trade route from Winnipeg to the US Border, especially for people and businesses in the southeast part of the Province. This southernmost section of PTH 59 within the project area is primarily a two lane, undivided, roadway, with a small section of divided highway at St. Malo. This large section of PTH 59 provides direct access to multiple homesteads and a few businesses including gas stations, stores and a post office as it travels through a number of communities, including St. Malo, Roseau River, Rosa, and Tolstoi, before ending at the US Boundary. There is also a cemetery and a few businesses that are very close to the edge of the roadway inside each of the communities. PTH 59 is also used as a flood route during periods of Red River flooding. 

Prior to construction, PTH 59’s existing roadway had narrow gravel shoulders, with a road surface consisting of bituminous pavement, asphalt surface treatment (AST) and numerous asphalt patches. The condition of the roadway along with its shoulder, numerous accesses, and the substandard horizontal curvature were among the safety issues identified for reconstruction.

The overall project was significantly large, spanning a total distance of 41.7 km of road reconstruction. This included a total of 169,450 t of bituminous pavement, 203,650 t of granular base course, 94,720 m³ of combined common and composite material and 1,194 m in total length of culvert installations making it one of the largest road reconstruction projects in Manitoba in 2022 and 2023.

The project included:

• Shoulder preparation and bench cuts
• Grade construction for curve realignments
• Culvert installations by jacking and open cut methods
• The addition of granular base course
• Construction of bituminous pavement
• Intersection improvements

In order to properly administer this project, Dillon provided:

• Project Management of this assignment, including attending meetings with Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure, preparing meeting notes and monitoring overall control including submission of Earned Value Reports
• Qualified engineers and construction inspectors that completed Contract Administration and Construction Inspection roles for the reconstruction of the highway
• Senior Engineering review of project Request for Information’s (RFI’s), Submittals, Non-Conformance Reports (NCRs), Site Instructions (SINs), Items of Extra Work, construction issues and project documentation
• Appropriate and necessary safety training for all internal staff that was required during construction
• Monitoring of Contractor’s detailed construction schedules and identified probable delays to the contract completion

Through challenges and with ground breaking success, Dillon’s Contract Administration and Construction Inspection team seamlessly delivered engineering services on behalf of Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure for one of their largest road construction projects. The project, which encompassed a major Manitoba corridor, was completed with thoughtful consideration to detail, scope, innovation, budget and timelines.

Dillon’s successful project delivery of this project continues to set the example for Engineering Service Provider delivery of roadworks Contract Administration and Construction Inspection services for Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.

Project Details

Project Partner: Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure
Business Unit: Transportation
Service offering: Bridges/Culverts