The Town of Morris has been given the green light by the province to get a cost estimate of extending the dike protecting the community.

The province intends to extend the dike further south as part of the Highway 75 reconstruction project, but town council would like the province to consider extending the

From the south end of Morris looking north, the ring dike protects the town during 2011 flood (File photo)barrier further east as well.

Morris mayor Gavin Van Der Linde says that would provide some room for future development in the southeast part of town

"We would like to see the dike go parallel to our east dike. Right now the province wants to extend it strictly around the highway, but we thought that since they were already starting that work, we would just have to pay the difference for the stretch heading east."

The town and Manitoba Infrastructure have been in discussions over the town's request for a few years now, but the issue was going nowhere, according to Van Der Linde. However, a meeting between local town officials and Pedersen earlier this month appears to have put things back on track.

"They have given us the go-ahead to look at that project again and our first objective is to get a very accurate cost estimate of what it would cost Manitoba Infrastructure and what the difference would cost us."

The town has hired KGS Group in Winnipeg to do the engineering cost estimate.

"Once we know that we can decide whether this is feasible for us as a community, but we need to know that number first," said Van Der Linde.