Preparations for flood proofing Highway 75 between St. Jean and Morris continue to move ahead at a steady pace.  In summer, the province began stockpiling about half-a-million cubic metres of dirt from the Hespler Drain, to be used in raising the highway.

According to Montcalm reeve Derek Sabourin, that job has been completed and work will now begin on strengthening municipal road 17, which will be used as the main access road for hauling that dirt out to the highway.

"Road 17 should be started soon, within the next week or two they should be making improvements to that road with some infrastructure changes in there and I think they intend to start moving the dirt in spring and summer of 2016."

Meanwhile, work on the Plum River bridge along Highway 75 northbound at St. Jean has started.

"Right now they are widening the grade and that bridge is scheduled to be replaced," said Sabourin. "We've been told it will be removed and replaced in 2016."

The Highway 75 flood proofing project includes the construction of four new bridges; one in Morris and two structures located north of the town.