Manitoba Highway 6

Provincial Trunk Highway 6 (PTH 6) is a provincial primary highway located in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It runs from the Perimeter Highway of Winnipeg to the Thompson south city limits. It is also the main highway connecting Winnipeg to northern Manitoba. The speed limit is 100 km/h. The route is also used to deliver nickel from the Thompson mine to the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. The section of highway between its southern terminus near Winnipeg and the second junction with PTH 68 near Eriksdale is part of the Northern Woods and Water Route. The portion of the highway between Ponton and Thompson was known as Highway 391 prior to 1986.

There have been talks of extending PTH 6 further north from Thompson to Churchill and the Nunavut border. If plans to make a highway in Nunavut connecting from Churchill, and Arviat, Nunavut to Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut go through, then the first ever major road connection to Nunavut will be made.

Route description


PTH 6 begins in the Interlake Region on the outskirts of Winnipeg in the Rural Municipality of Rosser at an at-grade intersection with PTH 101, which also marks the beginning of the Northern Woods and Water Route, with the road continuing as Patterson Road. It heads west, concurrent (overlapped) with the Northern Woods and Water Route, to meet PR 236 at a Roundabout and cross the Prairie Dog Central Railway, where it curves northwest and begins paralleling the rail line as it goes through a switchback. The highway passes through the hamlets of Gordon and Grosse Isle, where it has intersections with PR 321 and PR 322 as well as briefly crossing into the Rural Municipality of Rockwood before entering the Rural Municipality of Woodlands.



PTH 6 continues due northwest to have intersections with PTH 67 and PR 227 as it goes through a couple switchbacks along a bypass of Warren. The road previously passed directly through town along what is now Railway Avenue. The Prairie Dog Central Railway ends here and PTH 6 continues to have an intersection with PR 323 before traveling through the hamlet of Woodlands, where it has a junction with PR 518 at the northern end of town. The highway has intersections with PR 411 and PR 248 as it passes within 6 km of the western shores of the Shoal Lakes before traveling through Lake Francis.

PTH 6 now enters the Rural Municipality of St. Laurent and has a junction with Twin Beach Road, which leads to Twin Lakes Beach (Twin Beaches), before traveling through the community of St. Laurent, where it begins paralleling the eastern coastline of Lake Manitoba and has an intersection with PR 415. The highway curves due northward at the community of Oak Point, leaving the lake's coastline and crossing into the Rural Municipality of Coldwell.

PTH 6 travels through a switchback at Clarkleigh, where it has an intersection with PR 229, before traveling through the town of Lundar, where it has an intersection with PR 419. The now enters the Rural Municipality of West Interlake and almost immediately passes through Deerhorn, where it curves due northwest again and to mostly bypass the town of Ericksdale within the next few kilometers, having an intersection with PR 417 and becoming concurrent with PTH 68 here. PTH 6 / PTH 68 begin traveling through more wooded areas (prior to this point, PTH 6 had been traveling through mostly agricultural areas), with PTH 68, along with the Northern Woods and Water Route, splitting off and heading west toward the Lake Manitoba Narrows after several kilometers, with PTH 6 continuing northwest to temporarily cross into the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale, traveling through the communities of Mulvihill and Camper before re-entering the Rural Municipality of West Interlake. PTH 6 travels through (though mostly bypasses) the town of Ashern, where it has a short concurrency with PR 325, and the town of Moosehorn, where it has a short concurrency with PR 237 (provides access to Watchorn Provincial Park). PTH 6 originally passed through Ashern along Railway Avenue. The highway goes through a large switchback as it bypasses the hamlet of Grahamdale, having an intersection with PR 239 (provides access to Steep Rock) at Steep Rock Junction shortly thereafter. It travels through the community of Hilbre as it comes within 3 km of the southern shores of Lake St. Martin.

PTH 6 temporarily leaves the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale, traveling through the Pinaymootang First Nation and crossing the Fairford River at the Fairford River Water Control Structure (FRWCS / a dam), just a little 1 km from its mouth on the northeast shore of Lake Manitoba. The highway re-enters the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale and leaves the proximity of Lake Manitoba for good, traveling past Lake Pineimuta and through the community of St. Martin Junction, where and it has an intersection with PR 513, before having junctions with PR 328 and Road 190 North (provides a second access road to Gypsumville).

PTH 6 leaves the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale and the Interlake Region behind to enter the Nor-Man Region and enter Division No. 21 as it travels through more remote areas for the next several kilometers, winding its way northward near the western shores of Lake Winnipeg to have a junction with PTH 60 (provides access to Lake Winnipegosis and Easterville). The highway enters the Misipawistik Cree Nation and has an intersection with Mannix Road (provides access to Grand Rapids Provincial Park) before traveling through the center of the community, crossing the Saskatchewan River via the Grand Rapids Bridge at its mouth on Lake Winnipeg into the town of Grand Rapids (and leaving the First Nation), coming within 2 km of the Grand Rapids Dam (which impounds the Saskatchewan River to form Cedar Lake). PTH 6 crosses the northern part of town, having intersections with Grand Rapids Drive / Campbell Avenue (the town's Main Street) and Government Road (provides access to the dam and Hybord) before leaving Grand Rapids and the vicinity of Lake Winnipeg to cross into Division No. 22 after several kilometers remote terrain in the Boreal Forest of Canada.



The highway crosses the Hudson Bay Railway and has an intersection with PTH 39 at Ponton, where it makes a right at a stop sign and heads northeast alongside the railway for the next several kilometers. PTH 6 has an intersection with PR 373 as it passes along the eastern shores of Setting Lake, having an intersection with Fleming Drive, a short access road to the town of Wabowden, which lies only 2 km off the highway. The road leaves Setting Lake and the railroad behind as it enters the Mystery Lake Local Government District and crosses the Grass River at Sasagiu Rapids Provincial Park. PTH 6 has an intersection with a short access road to Pisew Falls Provincial Park and the Rotary Suspension Bridge (Pisew Falls Road) before crossing Soab Creek. It has an intersection with PR 375, which provides access to Paint Lake Provincial Park and Paint Lake itslelf, as it winds its way northeast along the woodlands of the Canadian Boreal Forest, passing by several other lakes, such as Upper Ospwagan Lake and Ospwagan Lake. PTH 6 leaves the Mystery Lake Local Government District as it enters the Thompson, with the road widening to a four-lane divided highway and gaining the street name Mystery Lake Road, with the designation transitioning to PR 391 at the signalized intersection with Burntwood Road shortly thereafter.

With the exclusion of the short section of four-lane in Thompson, the entire length of Manitoba Provincial Trunk Highway 6 is a rural, two-lane highway.



History
In 1928, PTH 6 was originally designated to travel from Minnedosa to the Saskatchewan border southwest of Benito via Dauphin and Swan River. In 1938–1939, the section east of Swan River became part of PTH 10. The remainder was redesignated as PTH 31 and PTH 49 in 1947, with PTH 6 being designated to its current route at that time.

When it was designated to its current route, PTH 6 travelled from Winnipeg as far as Gypsumville. The highway was extended from Gypsumville to Grand Rapids in 1964, followed by a further expansion to PR 391 at Ponton in 1972.

The last section of PTH 6 from Ponton to Thompson was designated in 1987, when the section of PR 391 between Thompson and PTH 10 was decommissioned. The section of the former PR 391 between Ponton and PTH 10 was redesignated as PTH 39.

The southern terminus of PTH 6 formerly extended into Winnipeg. Prior to 1966, PTH 6 began in Downtown Winnipeg at the intersection of Osborne Street and PTH 1 (Broadway), which was also the PTH 75 northern terminus. It followed Osborne Street, Memorial Boulevard, Colony Street, and Balmoral Street (present-day Winnipeg Route 62) north to Notre Dame Avenue. PTH 6 then headed northwest along Notre Dame Avenue (present-day Winnipeg Route 47), Keewatin Street, and Logan Avenue (present-day Winnipeg Route 42) to PTH 7 (present-day Winnipeg Route 90) near the Winnipeg International Airport. PTH 6 and PTH 7 share a common alignment north to the present-day location of PTH 101, where PTH 6 departed PTH 7. The combination of the establishment and Winnipeg Metro Routes and the opening of PTH 101, which took over a 6 km section of PTH 6, resulting in the southern terminus being moved to its present-day location.

Provincial Road 237
Provincial Road 237 (PR 237) is a 20.3 km east-west highway in the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale, connecting PTH 6 and the hamlet of Moosehorn with Watchorn Provincial Park and the hamlet Spearhill.

PR 237 begins along the coastline of northern Lake Manitoba in Watchorn Provincial Park, heading eastward through rural farmland for 3 km before making a sharp left, heading north for around 1.5 km before making a sharp right, continuing east for several more kilometres to enter Moosehorn. It passes through a neighbourhood before joining PTH 6 in a concurrency (overlap), following it for a couple kilometres as the two bypass downtown along its western side. PR 237 splits off and heads due east, leaving Moosehorn travelling through wooded areas for 5.5 km before making a sharp left to enter Spearhill, where the PR 237 designation ends and the road continues north as Spearhill Road. With the exclusion of the PTH 6 concurrency, the entire length of PR 237 is an unpaved two-lane gravel road.

Provincial Road 239
Provincial Road 239 (PR 239) is a 20.1 km east-west spur of PTH 6 in the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale, serving as the main road access to the town of Steep Rock, located on the northeastern shore of Lake Manitoba.

PR 239 begins at the eastern edge of Steep Rock at an intersection with Lakeshore Road, with the road continuing into town along Lakeview Drive. The highway winds its way southeast as it passes by a reservoir and a quarry before heading due eastward through rural areas for the next several kilometres. It travels through the small community of Faulkner before coming to an end at a junction with PTH 6 in the locality of Steep Rock Junction. The entire length of PR 239 is a paved two-lane highway.

Provincial Road 375
Provincial Road 375 (PR 375) is a short 4 km east-west spur of PTH 6 in the Local Government District of Mystery Lake. It provides access to Paint Lake Provincial Park, as well as many summer camps and cabins surrounding the lake. The entire length of PR 375 is a paved two-lane highway.

Provincial Road 411
Provincial Road 411 (PR 411) is a 22.9 km east-west spur of PTH 6 (NWWR) in the Rural Municipalities of Portage la Prairie and Woodlands, connecting the highway to PR 430, the hamlet of St. Ambroise and St. Ambroise Provincial Park. It is entirely a two-lane gravel road, traversing the southern coastline of Lake Francis for around half its length. No other settlements are along the highway.

Provincial Road 417
Provincial Road 417 (PR 417) is a 24.8 km east-west spur of PTH 6 in the Rural Municipality of West Interlake, running westward from its intersection with PTH 68 in Eriksdale to the Lake Manitoba First Nation on the shores of southern Lake Manitoba, having a junction with PR 418 along the way. The entire length of PR 417 is a paved two-lane highway.

Provincial Road 513
Provincial Road 513 (PR 513) is a 50.7 km east-west spur of PTH 6 in the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale and Unorganized Division No. 19, linking the highway with the First Nations of Little Saskatchewan, Lake St. Martin, and Dauphin River, as well as the hamlets of St. Martin, Gypsumville, and Dauphin River.

PR 513 begins in the Rural Municipality of Grahamdale in the community of St. Martin Junction at an intersection with PTH 6. It heads northeast through farmland for several kilometres, having an intersection with St. Martin Drive (which provides access to the hamlet of St. Martin) before entering Gypsumville. It winds its way through the centre of town, where it makes a sharp right beside of the Gypsumville School. The highway leaves Gypsumville and becomes unpaved, having a junction with Sandy Bay Road (which leads to Little Saskatchewan First Nation) before travelling near the northern coastline of Lake St. Martin, where it passes through the Lake St. Martin First Nation. PR 513 makes a sharp turn to the north and begins following the left bank of the Dauphin River, meandering through the remote woodlands of Unorganized Division No. 19 for several kilometres. The highway passes through the Dauphin River First Nation before entering the hamlet of Dauphin River, coming to a dead end on the coastline of Lake Winnipeg.