Costs
Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway and What It Adds to a Tow Price
A breakdown on Winnipeg's Perimeter Highway often prices higher than one near downtown, and distance is the main reason. The ring is about 90 km around, and most of it runs outside the city. Your car may be a long haul from the shop you pick. The truck may also need to drive past you to reach your side of the divided road. Your vehicle and what went wrong matter too.
What actually sets the price of a Perimeter tow?
A tow price comes from the job, not from a map zone. On the Perimeter, five things do most of the work:
- The haul. How many km from your car to the shop or address you choose.
- The trip to reach you. How far the truck must go to get to your side of the highway.
- Where the car sits. On the shoulder, in a work zone, or down in the ditch.
- What went wrong. A dead battery, a flat, an empty tank or a car that won't move at all.
- What you drive. A compact car and an all-wheel-drive pickup load in different ways.
The first two are where the ring road makes a real difference. The rest apply anywhere in the city.
How far is a Perimeter breakdown from the middle of town?
Farther than it feels from behind the wheel. The South Perimeter is PTH 100, about 40 km from end to end. The North Perimeter is PTH 101, about 49.5 km. They meet the Trans-Canada on the east and west sides of the city.
Only about a quarter of the ring is inside Winnipeg. The rest crosses the rural municipalities of Springfield, Macdonald, Rosser, West St. Paul and East St. Paul. So a stall near Oak Bluff or out past Rosser Road is in open country, not a city block.
Now think about where the car goes next. A stall on Pembina Highway near Fort Garry, headed to a shop in Fort Garry, is a short trip. A stall near the Dugald Road crossing, headed to that same shop, means hauling the car across or around the whole city. The truck and the hookup are the same. The km are not.
Why might the truck have to drive past you first?
The Perimeter is a divided highway. Your driver can't just cross the median wherever you are. They have to reach your side of the road, and the ring has fewer ways to do that than you might think.
Many of the side roads that touch the Perimeter are right-in, right-out only. You can turn onto the highway from them, or off it, but you can't cross it. Plessis Road and Municipal Roads 8E and 9E work that way, for example. The province has also been closing median openings at stop-sign crossings on the South Perimeter as a safety step. Some older accesses, like Saskatchewan Avenue and Selkirk Avenue, are closed for good.
So picture a truck coming from the city side while your car sits on the far lanes. The driver may need to go on to the next interchange or signal crossing, then come back. That extra loop is part of the trip to reach you, and it can add km to the job.
Where can a truck get across?
Interchanges at the big roads, like Pembina Highway, Portage Avenue, McPhillips Street and Main Street, let a driver cross over. Some crossings are still at grade with traffic signals, including St. Anne's Road, Waverley Street and Kenaston Boulevard, Wenzel Street, Gunn Road and Dugald Road. You don't need to plan the route. Just tell us your side and your last exit, and your driver will plan it.
How do Perimeter exit numbers help you get the right price?
A clear location gets you a clear price. The Perimeter's exit numbers start at Fermor Avenue, which is exit 1, and go up clockwise around the city. A few you'll pass often:
| Exit | Road |
|---|---|
| 1 | Fermor Avenue and the Trans-Canada east |
| 8 | PTH 59 south, Lagimodiere Boulevard |
| 14 | St. Mary's Road, toward St. Adolphe |
| 18 | Pembina Highway and PTH 75 south |
| 40 | Roblin Boulevard, toward Headingley |
| 42 | Portage Avenue and the Trans-Canada west |
| 45 | CentrePort Canada Way |
| 60 | Brookside Boulevard, PTH 7 |
| 69 and 71 | McPhillips Street, then Main Street |
| 76 | PTH 59 north, Lagimodiere Boulevard |
The numbers keep climbing as you go clockwise. So "westbound past exit 18" tells your partner tow company much more than "south end of the city." Add whether you're on the city side or the country side of the road.
Does the McGillivray construction change the job?
It can. The province is building an interchange where the South Perimeter meets PTH 3, McGillivray Boulevard, near Oak Bluff. It lists construction from 2026 to 2029, with traffic on the new interchange targeted for fall 2029.
The province says drivers will see reduced speeds, new construction signs, more trucks and short delays near the site. Flagger devices control traffic along PTH 3. A car that quits inside that zone has less room on the shoulder. Your driver may need extra care to set up the hookup, so mention the work zone when you call.
If you can coast clear of the cones before you stop, do it. If anyone is hurt, or your car is stuck in a live lane, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service.
What about railway crossings on the ring?
The Perimeter still crosses railway tracks at grade in several spots, on both the north and south halves. The province's long-term freeway plan for the South Perimeter would replace at-grade crossings, roads and railways alike, with overpasses. Until then, the tracks are there.
Never let a failing car roll to a stop on the tracks. If it dies there, get everyone out and well away from the rails, then call 911. A tow comes after everyone is safe.
Is a tow from Headingley or Oak Bluff priced like a city tow?
It's priced the same way: by the job. The difference is how far the job runs. Headingley sits just west of the city on the Trans-Canada. Oak Bluff sits on PTH 3 in the RM of Macdonald, which links Sanford, Brunkild and Sperling to Winnipeg. St. Adolphe connects in on St. Mary's Road.
If you live out there and your car dies near home, a shop close by keeps the haul short. If you'd rather use a garage in Transcona or River Heights, that's fine. Just know the trip into the city is the bigger part of the price.
Some calls don't need a haul at all. If the engine clicked and won't crank, a jump start may get you moving right where you are. If it ran fine and then lost power, plan on a car tow to a shop instead.
What can you do to keep a Perimeter tow price down?
- Choose the drop-off first. Have the shop's name and address ready before you call.
- Think closer. A good shop near where you stopped can cut the haul a lot.
- Give your exact spot. North or South Perimeter, your direction and your last exit number.
- Describe the car honestly. Make, model, all-wheel drive or not, and how it's sitting.
- Check before you drive. Manitoba 511, or dial 511, shows closures and work zones on the ring.
How does Sentinel price a Perimeter call?
Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner tow company does the work. You tell us where the car is and where it should go. We text you a price before dispatch, and that price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first and you decide. Then we keep checking on you by text until your driver arrives. That's the Stay-With-You Promise. For roads and neighborhoods across the city, see our Winnipeg towing page.
Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.
Perimeter Highway Tow Price Questions
Why does a tow from the Perimeter cost more than one downtown?
Mostly because of km. Most of the ring lies outside the city, so the haul to your shop is often longer. On a divided road, the truck may also need to loop around to reach your side.
Which exit number should I give if I'm between exits?
Give the last exit you passed and your direction. Add the next crossing road if you can see a sign. Your phone's map pin helps too.
Will my price change if the truck has to turn around?
Not after you accept it. Give us your side and your last exit when you call, and the price we text covers getting to you. If the job itself turns out different, we text a new price first and you decide.
Can you tow me from Oak Bluff or Headingley into the city?
Yes, call with your spot and the shop's address. A vetted local partner does the tow. You get the price by text before anyone is sent.
Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: Manitoba: South Perimeter Highway projects, Manitoba road information, Manitoba 511, Perimeter Highway exit list.
