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Ready, set… MERGE:
it’s construction time again
City has $158M in budget for roads
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2026/05/08/ready-set-merge-ci...
THE orange traffic cones, road signs and work crews appearing all over the city mean the annual race has begun to complete all of the street construction projects planned before the end of the year.
There is an estimated $156.8 million in the civic budget for local and regional road improvement this year.
“The season is intense, because we have a short window of time,” Coun. Janice Lukes, the public works committee chair said Friday, kicking off the city’s construction season alongside Mayor Scott Gillingham.
This year’s major projects include the rehabilitation of the Lagimodiere twin overpass, a new bike lane on Edmonton Street and the renewal of St. Mary’s Road from the south Perimeter to the Floodway.
“Every spring, of course, one of the big questions that Winnipeggers ask us is: ‘What roads are getting fixed this year and when will it begin?’ The answer, of course… is a lot of them,” Gillingham said.
Work to demolish the Arlington Bridge is also set to start this season.
The city said in total, crews will be constructing or improving 175-lane kilometres of roads, improving 50 sidewalk locations and working on 15 kilometres of bike lanes and active transportation pathways.
The corridor pathway from Church Avenue to Selkirk Avenue and from Leila Avenue to Daylan Marshall Gate Park, was highlighted Friday alongside the introduction of a protected bike lane on Sherbrook Street from Broadway to Cumberland Avenue.
Budget allocations for road improvements dropped slightly this year.
Last year, the city dedicated $165 million for street improvements. Both figures are part of a larger, $1.1-billion capital plan to fix roads over six years, which Gillingham said is the largest such investment in Winnipeg’s history.
“We know that construction season can be frustrating,” he said. “Nobody likes detours, lane reductions or orange cones but, of course, every one of these projects is about improving how people move around our city — whether they drive, bike, walk or take transit.”
Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association CEO Shaun Jeffrey said businesses need early and accurate information from the city on how construction projects are going to affect their customers’ access.
“It’s huge. It’s massive,” he said, noting the restaurant industry is already struggling because of inflation. Jeffrey said he would like the city to proactively reach out to industry groups such as his to ensure they know what they’re up against as a result of planned street work.
“Nobody… wants to sit on a patio with construction sitting in front of it,” he said.
Gillingham said city staff will ensure there is proper communication, both printed and online.
Businesses will benefit in the long run from better infrastructure for decades to come, he said.
“Our staff will be — and should be — doing all they can to mitigate the timeline of the work that’s being done, to get the projects up, staged (and) completed as soon as possible.”
morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.camailto:morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca