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Manitoba responds to Auditor General’s report on provincial bridges

July 21, 2016 – The Office of the Auditor General recently released its report, Management of Provincial Bridges, and the report calls for improvements to be made to the inspection and maintenance of Manitoba’s highway and waterway bridges, Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen said.

“This report indicates that under the previous administration, critical infrastructure was allowed to erode and bridge safety was potentially compromised,” said Pedersen. “Our government is already working to implement the recommendations of the auditor general and timelines are in the process of being established. We are confident that we will be able to restore public confidence in the safety of our province’s critical infrastructure.”

Manitoba Infrastructure will regularly update Manitobans on the progress of implementation of the report’s recommendations, the minister said. Further opportunities for improvement will also be explored through the value for money audit, which will begin in the short term, he added.

Bridge inspections continue, both through Manitoba Infrastructure and via two tendered contracts, totalling close to $510,000, which will ensure the timely inspection of 240 structures in the highway network, as well as an additional 80 structures on the water control network. In total, the province will be completing approximately 920 Level 2 inspections in 2016-17.

“Manitobans expect and deserve better leadership from their government,” said Pedersen. “Manitoba’s new government will ensure that bridges and other critical infrastructure are inspected, maintained and repaired so that Manitobans can be confident about their safety.”