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UGS Committee

The departments of Public Works, Water and Waste, Planning, Property and Development, and Corporate Support Services, in partnership with Manitoba Hydro and Bell MTS, form the "Underground Structures Committee."

Purpose of the Committee

The purpose of the Committee is to provide a forum for discussing matters pertaining to infrastructure within the public right-of-way and to serve as a vehicle for recommending improvements to the Director of Public Works. Through the Public Works Department, the Committee also functions as a resource for records management and information sharing.

Committee Background

The Underground Structures Branch was established in 1974. An agreement was signed by the City of Winnipeg, Greater Winnipeg Gas Company, Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Telephone System Canadian National Railroad Company and Canadian Pacific Limited. The signees of the agreement established the Underground Structures Committee.

The purpose of the Committee is to:

  1. Formulate and adopt standard locations for future underground construction by utilities in order to obtain the most beneficial use of the streets rights-of-way within the City of Winnipeg.
  2. Make recommendations regarding the locations and type of underground facilities and structures to eliminate or prevent congestion.
  3. Maintain accurate records of all facilities and structures placed upon or beneath the streets rights-of-way.
  4. Recommend standards for rights-of-way widths for future streets so that these streets may be safely and economically serviced by the parties.
  5. Review and resolve problems related to the location and construction of underground facilities and structures by utilities.
  6. Coordinate construction upon or under streets within the City of Winnipeg.
  7. Review long-range planning programs and make appropriate recommendations with respect to width, location, alignment and continuity of major future street rights-of-way, taking in consideration major utility feeder or trunk alignments.
  8. Approve all drawings showing proposed underground facilities on standard alignment if general alignment and utility clearances are satisfactory. If a departure from standard alignment is shown and can be accommodated without interference with existing or proposed facilities, approval may be also given by the Supervisor of Underground Structures.

In 2000 the Underground Structures Committee agreed the need for the UGS Branch to recover all of its operating costs through support of the Committee members and through user fees. A new agreement became effective January 1, 2001. The UGS Committee and Branch follows the terms of that agreement.

Service Fees

The cost of operating the Underground Structures Committee and the cost of providing the services of the Underground Structures Branch are borne and paid for by the parties of the UGS Agreement and non-members who utilize the services of the branch. The UGS Committee sets the hourly service rate at its fourth quarterly meeting. In the review of hourly service rate the Committee considers the current and future operating needs, indirect costs and expected work activity in the street Rights-of-Way. The fee for service rate charged to users is $140.00 per hour.


Last update: January 17, 2024

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