Manitoba highway reopens after sinkhole fixed

Part of a western Manitoba highwaymade impassable by a sinkhole this past summer has reopened to traffic, at least for the winter.

The provincial government says theportion of Highway 83 between Roblin and Russell, Man., that collapsed in Julyhas been reconstructed into a two-lane gravel road.

The rebuilt road can carry all types of vehicles, including heavy trucks, through the winter, the province said recently.

An underground landslide created a sinkhole onthe highway that was roughly 200 metres wide and five metres deep.

Highways officials will monitor the road over the winter, and an engineering analysis will help determine how to permanently rebuild the road.

It took Russell Ready Mix Concrete just over a month to rebuild the collapsed section of road. The work is expected to cost the province about $1.5 million.