| Caution! This message was sent from outside the University of Manitoba. |
Famous intersection closed to pedestrians in 1979
Work at Portage and Main starts Nov. 15
CONSTRUCTION to reopen Portage Avenue and Main Street to pedestrian access appears set to begin in two months — 45 years after it was cut off.
The City of Winnipeg is seeking a contractor to begin construction by Nov. 15 and reopen the intersection to foot traffic by July 1, 2025, as per tendering documents released Friday.
Mayor Scott Gillingham said he’s received mostly positive feedback on the idea since council voted to reopen it in March, despite 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voting “no” to opening the intersection to pedestrians in a 2018 plebiscite.
“Not everyone is in agreement but there has been a lot of people who have said to me, ‘This is the right decision. It’s time to treat this intersection like every other intersection,” said Gillingham.
Debate over letting people cross the intersection on foot has raged for years. Opponents feared the change would be costly and delay traffic, while supporters argued it could help rejuvenate and better connect downtown.
Pedestrian access was cut off at the crossing in 1979.
In a press release, the city notes construction is needed to support the safe movement of traffic when pedestrians return.
The construction will include: demolishing barrier walls; installing new traffic signals and street lights; adding a curb extension on the southeast corner to allow for shorter pedestrian crossing distance across Portage Avenue and more pedestrian space at the corner; repairing and adjusting the medians; and installing new curbs and sidewalks to accommodate pedestrian crossings on all four corners.
“Certainly, our staff are focused on improving the intersection, changing the intersections to make it safe for everybody… There will be a real focus on maximizing movement and traffic flow,” said Gillingham.
However, a councillor who has long opposed the reopening remains concerned it will delay traffic.
“I do think it will slow traffic down, particularly those p.m. rush-hour movements,” said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan). “Winnipeg does not have freeways… so, in terms of getting through the city, we use major arterial roadways and… making sure that those work efficiently is important.”
Originally, the mayor proposed closing the intersection’s underground concourse as part of the plan but council voted to study the idea further before acting on it, said Browaty.
He said next year’s budget might include funding to study the cost and impact of that change.
“I still think the underground concourse plays a very important part of… the way people move around and work and live downtown in the winter,” he said.
The councillor said the city should explore whether property owners at the intersection would cover the difference between the price of closing the concourse and the cost of repairing it and keeping it open.
In March, Gillingham said it would cost $73 million to repair the leaking membrane to protect the concourse, while closing the city’s portion of the site could cost roughly $20 to $50 million.
Multiple business leaders noted the closure cost was vaguely defined and stressed that many people rely on the underground connections to travel between businesses, especially in winter.
Loren Remillard, president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, said his organization looks forward to the street-level pedestrian access but the city must study any underground changes before acting on them.
“We need to understand exactly how that functions, in terms of the connectivity into the walkway system, into servicing the various towers… The underground is a vital connection point for so many,” said Remillard.
Gillingham said there’s no target timeline for
the potential closure of the underground.
“The underground won’t be closed this year nor next year,” he said.
In March, council earmarked $13 million to pay for the initial reopening of the intersection to foot traffic.
Additional design work for the intersection is expected to be part of a rapid transit design study, which is expected to begin in 2025.
The pedestrian access is timed to resume shortly after a new primary transit network begins operating on June 29, 2025.
While most of the construction period to prepare for that falls in the winter, Coun. Sherri Rollins said the timeline appears realistic.
“The demo and removing of the barriers, the traffic signals, this is work that we do all year round,” said Rollins (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry).
She noted she’s excited to see the pedestrian barriers come down.
“They are an eyesore. It’s long overdue,” she said.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca X: @joyanne_pursaga