For years, local municipal officials in Emerson-Franklin Municipality have asked the province to upgrade PR 201 to RTAC standards and it appears they are finally going to get their wish.

Manitoba's infrastructure minister says the province has plans to upgrade the section of PR 201 between Dominion City and Highway 59 starting this year.

Ron Schuler says that section of highway is a feeder route into Manitoba's economic trade corridor which includes PTH 75, the Perimeter Highway and the Trans Canada Highway.

"We call that our economic trade corridor. Part of that includes building what's called an RTAC or national standard highway system. We identified PR 201 as one of those feeder routes that would be a national standard highway that could handle all (commercial) loads to get you on the economic trade corridor."

The minister says their intent is to create an RTAC grid within the Red River trade corridor that will accommodate heavy commercial truck traffic and allow goods to move to market more smoothly.

"We believe the world really does love our products ... and does trust our food. About 80% of what we produce we export, so what we're suggesting to Manitobans is if we provide you with a really good trade corridor and then an RTAC grid, no matter what you manufacture, you can get it to market in an easy functional way."

Currently, only a portion of PR 201 from Highway 75 to PR 200 at Dominion City is designated as RTAC.

Schuler points out the work on upgrading PR 201 to RTAC standards began in 2019 with improvements to the bridge that spans the aux Marais River just east of Letellier.

"We feel PR 201 is very important as a route between Highway 75 and Highway 59. I don't know if all of it gets done this year, but that is the intention."