The City of Portage la Prairie has blocked access to 18th St SW in Portage from Saskatchewan Avenue for an additional period of two weeks. It was previously closed far longer than first planned.

Jocelyn Lequier-Jobin is director of operations for the City of Portage and explains.

"The contractor was hoping to get all the water and sewer in before Christmas but because of a number of factors, they weren't able to get that done," says Lequier-Jobin. "What they're going to be doing over the next two weeks is running the water and sewer lines along Saskatchewan Ave., just past 18th St. Actually, they'll keep going along there over the next few months to finish off the sewer and water portion of the project."

She notes only the mouth of the street along Saskatchewan Avenue is the location of the work, adding that work on the actual street, itself, has been completed. 

"The street will be open from the south up to the point of Saskatchewan Ave," notes Lequier-Jobin. "It's just for work that's being done right at the end, where it has to be closed while we're putting in those lines."