Winkler City Council made the case for paving and expanding PTH 32 to Provincial Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler recently.

Council hosted Schuler on Friday, presenting the minister with the city's five-year capital plan. "He saw the complete vision for Winkler, which I think was very helpful," Mayor Martin Harder says.

"And he physically drove down highway 32, which was also very beneficial for him, to see the condition of the road and what the traffic issues are," he adds.

Harder says they "anxiously suggested" completing the entire section from Pembina Ave. to Highway 14 by the year 2020.

Originally, the city was planning on completing the project in phases. "We showed him the number of accidents on Norquay and Roblin, or even Roblin and Main St., a lot of it the result of backed-up traffic off of highway 32... it's all connected."

Schuler also saw the projected growth of the city's industrial, commercial and retail sectors, including the renovation plans for the Southland Mall, "that's the reason we suggested going all the way to highway 14," Harder says. "Do it right and get it done."

The city has been preparing designs for the four-laning of PTH 32 for nearly three years and Harder says they've had an excellent working relationship with MIT in prepping the stretch of road for the project.

While Harder says no announcements are likely coming before the election this fall, they were able to present the information and impress up Schuler the need for the project.

He adds the current provincial government has long emphasized the importance of return on investment and "there are few roads that could be redone that would have as quick a return on investment as highway 32. Both from existing industry and retail expansion and the taxes generated as a result... I think we have a good foundation to stand on."