WINNIPEG, Man. — Spring thaw restrictions have been placed on some of Manitoba’s well-traveled RTAC routes, and the Manitoba Trucking Association (MTA) is afraid it’s a sign of things to come.

The two routes impacted are Hwy. 25 into Rivers, Man. and Hwy. 3 running into Melita.

“For two year-round RTAC routes to be placed under spring restriction is a very, very clear and definite indication of the deterioration that we’re experiencing to our roadways,” says a concerned Bob Dolyniuk, MTA general manager. “These two highways are a concern, but more importantly — if the lack of funding continues, I anticipate that we’re going to see more of the same activity.”

The restrictions were put in place to protect the highways from damage caused be heavy traffic when the road is most vulnerable. However, Dolyniuk says the restrictions will be costly not only to trucking companies, but customers as well.

“We’ve calculated a minimum of an 18 per cent impact on payload, which is obviously going to have an impact on the customers,” says Dolyniuk.

In the meantime, the future of Manitoba’s highways looks bleak, according to the MTA.

“At this time, I’m not aware of any major rehabilitation programs for either one of those highways,” says Dolyniuk. “It seems that as much as everybody is screaming about the conditions of our infrastructure, we’re still not putting appropriate amounts into our highway infrastructure.”