Manitoba Highway 10 back open after flooding, washouts

Manitoba Highway 10 has fully reopened after days of heavy rain and flooding that caused washouts along southern portions of the road.

The full highway was back in operation May 22 after being shut down for over a week, due to several washouts and damaged portions of the road in the Parkland region.

“Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure advises that Highway 10 between Swan River and The Pas is reopened to traffic,” reads the provincial announcement.

Crossings over three rivers in the northern portion of the Parkland region washed out as a result of the rain and flooding - one north of Mafeking at Steep Rock River, a second at Pine River and a third washout at the Bell River south of Mafeking. The first washout was repaired May 17, with the other two washouts fully repaired May 21 - both lanes of traffic at those crossings are now open, though there are still areas of reduced speed along the highway.

“While these routes are reopened to traffic, work is still ongoing in these areas. There are cautions identified at multiple locations. There are still a significant number of provincial and municipal roads that have been damaged or closed across Manitoba due to flooding,” reads the provincial announcement.

About 250 kilometres of Highway 10 from Flin Flon heading south stayed open for traffic during the flooding, but crucial portions of the road further south were affected by the washouts and were closed for several days. People hoping to reach Flin Flon from southern Manitoba, in some cases, had to travel north via Highways 6 and 60 before heading onto the open portion of Highway 10.

As of May 23, several roads around Duck Mountain Provincial Park, Pine River and Duck River were either completely closed or under stricter traffic conditions like reduced speed limits or partial closures.

Other key highways for northerners, mainly Highways 6, 39 and 60, are fully operational. Partial washouts were reported for Highways 6 and 39 last week, but neither were closed - drivers were only asked to use caution while using those roads. Shoulder repairs are ongoing for part of Highway 6 north of Lake St. Martin, which was hit by flooding earlier this month.