The RM of Portage la Prairie's been notified by Transport Canada about upgrades to a CP rail crossing on Road 42 west.

It's the service road for the Simplot plant west of Portage, and will also service the Roquette facility.

Deputy-Reeve Roy Tufford's glad to see it happen.

"Obviously, there's going to be a lot more traffic there," he says, "And Transport Canada deemed that because of the volumes of traffic, it should have control arms and special warning devices. There's a cost-sharing agreement between the federal government, the railroads, and the municipal government. We end up paying 12.5% of that."

He adds even more traffic will materialize, once Roquette opens in a couple of years, so the upgrades are good news.

"We had no argument with them designating the need for that crossing to have those kind of warnings on it," he notes, "We're just happy that we're only paying 12.5% of the cost. It's a win-win for us, I think."

The RM's share for the upgrades is just over $47,000. The work will be done next year.