The construction at the intersection of Loewen Boulevard and Highway 12 is getting close to completion, but it is not quite finished yet. In September, City of Steinbach Head of Engineering Aaron Rach explained that crews first needed to complete the underground work on Loewen Boulevard, east of Highway 12, before moving on to surface construction. Originally, the project was expected to wrap up by mid-October. However, Rach says recent rain has delayed progress. A new completion date and project update will be released in the coming weeks. Many in the community are eager to see the work completed, including Prairie Oils & Provisions owner Bev Penner, whose business is located along the northbound lanes of Highway 12. “We get people asking all the time, ‘Is the construction affecting you?’ Well, it's hard to say because we don't really have anything to compare it to. This is new for us, but I mean, people are finding us. People figure out how to get here. We get phone calls asking how to get to your location, and we're lucky that we have another driveway off of Elmdale, so people can still come. It's just a matter of zigzagging around to side streets.” While the construction has brought challenges, Penner is staying positive. “In the end, it's a short season,” she says. “This side definitely is a shorter time being closed than, let's say, the other side that they were working on.” She adds that they knew it would be a two-year project, so they are ready to be patient. “We're seeing the guys out there working, and they're even working sometimes in the rain that we've been having as long as they can. We've seen the progression being here, so we're seeing how fast it actually is coming together.” Though it’s been inconvenient at times, Penner believes it will be worth it. “For us, we're looking at what this intersection is going to look like when it's done, which I think is going to be absolutely beautiful. It's going to flow amazingly well. We got a brand-new driveway out of the deal, which is now a nicer actually on and off driveway, which before it was kind of more of an off driveway and it's a wider driveway.” Penner also appreciates how well the City of Steinbach has kept them informed throughout construction. “For that part, too, we've actually had very positive experience with them and even the managers that are running the construction and for that part we've been very grateful about the communication and it's just unfortunate now with the rain it might take a little longer.” She adds that the weather is beyond their control, noting they were fortunate to have good conditions for most of the summer, allowing plenty of progress. Now, she is looking forward to seeing the project finished. “Will we be happy when it's done? Absolutely, we will be happy, and I think we will see an uptake in the traffic because you can literally just come on. But you know what? We're just trying to be patient and waiting for the end result.” With files from Kenton Dyck