Roundabout planned for North Hill intersection

Construction is expected to proceed next year for a roundabout on 18th Street North in Brandon.

The city and provincial governments are splitting the cost to remodel the 18th Street North and Braecrest Drive intersection, with each paying for half the work.

“It’s the intersection that’s kind of been identified as a bit of a safety and congestion concern,” Kyle Winters, the city’s director of engineering, said on Friday.

“Getting some upgrades to the intersections should help to alleviate that.”

The “recommended improvement” is a roundabout, according to a request for proposal for the redesign that closed on Thursday.

Construction at the intersection is supposed to be completed before December 2026, the RFP said.

Winters said the city has been pursuing a roundabout at the intersection since 2019, when a functional design of the Braecrest Drive corridor was completed.

Traffic turning southward onto 18th Street North from the east side of Braecrest was “kind of the main driver for making improvements” to the intersection, Winters said.

He added that there has been a lot of development on and near Braecrest in recent years, which has added to the congestion.

“It definitely enhances the importance of moving forward with the project,” Winters said. “I think we’re on a good timeline to make these upgrades based on how the development has built out over the last few years.

“We’re definitely (going to) be able to meet the need of that additional traffic,” he said.

The city’s website says only WSP Canada Inc. made a bid for the design of the project. No price was listed on the bid, as of Friday afternoon.

The province — which has jurisdiction over 18th Street North as it is also Highway 10 — couldn’t provide estimates for what the project would cost.

The province also declined to comment on the topic, as the city is “managing this project,” a spokesperson said.

An email to a city communications officer requesting projected costs wasn’t answered before press time.

Winters said the placement of the roundabout, which would be at the top of the North Hill, was taken into account.

“I think it is a bit of a concern, but something that can be addressed through that detailed design phase,” Winters said, adding some of that work was already “flushed out” during the initial design in 2019.

“There are great concerns there, but nothing that restricts the project from moving forward,” he said.

Coun. Heather Karrouze, whose Ward 1 covers the entire North Hill, said she is “relieved that work is moving forward to address this very problematic intersection.

“The recommended roundabout will serve to slow and control traffic, increasing safety for both vehicular traffic and pedestrians,” she said in an email.

Karrouze said she’s pleased to see the city partner with the provincial government on the project, as are the many residents who will benefit from the redesign.

“It has been a long time coming,” she said.

Winters said the city is hoping to send out a tender for construction on the project this spring, with construction taking place over the summer months.

Last week, he told the Sun that construction projects around the city progressed well this year, putting the city in a good position for work in 2026.

“Most of the stuff got kind of wrapped up the way we wanted it to,” Winters said about the 2025 construction season.

The 18th Street North and Braecrest Drive intersection will remain open during next year’s construction, the RFP’s requirements said.

» alambert@brandonsun.com