WINNIPEG — The goal of turning Winnipeg into an inland port, with a full terminal at the Richardson International Airport, is expected to get a boost Tuesday.

On the same visit he's planning to survey flood damage south of the city, Prime Minister Stephen Harper is expected to make an announcement about the port.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty promised in his January budget address to "accelerate" work on Winnipeg's CentrePort project.

It was one of several new investments announced in the federal budget to stimulate the national economy. No dollar figure was attached to the promise at that time.

The CentrePort plan calls for a 8,000-hectare area northwest of the airport to be turned into a massive trucking and rail depot, linked to runways and aircraft coming and going from all over the globe.

Future plans include realigning the CP Railway line that runs though the area so it's closer to CentrePort.

Work is already underway on a number of initiatives that support CentrePort, including $85 million for improvements to Highway 75, Manitoba's key highway to United States, and $68 million for upgrades to the Hudson Bay Rail Line and the Port of Churchill.