City hall in brief
Posted: 04/30/2015
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-hall-in-brief-301789591.html
No to through-pass traffic
CITY council has unanimously voted to reject traffic entering Winnipeg via a planned through-pass in East St. Paul.
North Kildonan Coun. Jeff Browaty has been one of the project's biggest opponents because of the influx of traffic it would allow to flow into Winnipeg.
"There is no support now or forever for the idea of having general traffic use the Raleigh corridor," he said Wednesday at council. "The streets were not designed to handle this kind of traffic."
The new interchange was announced by the province in September, to be constructed at Highway 59 and the north Perimeter.
Part of the project would see the Perimeter elevated to accommodate a grade-level extension of Raleigh Street, connecting both sides of the RM of East St. Paul.
The city administration joined Browaty this month in voicing concern over the proposed traffic link's impact on road congestion.
The motion adopted on Wednesday called for council not to support the accommodation of general traffic entering Winnipeg from East St. Paul via the through-pass.
In the province's original plan, the through-pass was intended for pedestrians, active transportation and emergency-vehicle access.
In November, however, the province raised the possibility of opening the through-pass to vehicle traffic, a proposal since endorsed by the RM.
"What we are saying is that what is being built, we don't have any consideration for it being open to vehicular traffic," Browaty said after the meeting. "The RM can build what they see fit, but what we are saying is we are not supporting the idea of opening it up to vehicular traffic through this tunnel."
Public works chairwoman Coun. Janice Lukes brought forth an add-on to the motion, which called for public transit to be accommodated via the through-pass. Browaty, a longtime opponent of bus rapid transit, called the motion offensive and later remarked "it feels like this council will vote for anything that has rapid transit in its title."
Browaty and St. Charles Coun. Shawn Dobson were the only councillors who voted in opposition to the add-on to the motion.