Institutions and the governance of transport infrastructure projects: Some insight from the planning and construction of the CentrePort Canada Way

The paper investigates the dynamics between institutions and the governance of transport infrastructure projects, focusing on the planning and construction process of the CentrePort Canada Way (CCW) project. The CCW is regarded as a pivotal project in helping CentrePort Canada, the major inland port in Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba, to become a major inland transport and logistics hub in catalyzing and promoting international trade between Manitoba, Canada and the world. It focuses on how institutions have caused paradigm shifts in the planning culture of infrastructure projects in Manitoba, notably the Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT)-how such shifts have transformed its initial idea, financial support, planning and construction of the CCW project. We hypothesize that institutions have influenced in an important manner on the direction of planning and development the CCW project, in both positive and negative ways. The paper offers insight to the roles of institutions on the planning and development process on large-scale transport infrastructure projects.