Marion Street makeover project proposal ‘big jump forward’

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/input-sought-on-marion-street-makeov...

AFTER being T-boned twice, Kristen Marino believes Marion Street needs a major makeover.

“In my opinion, (Marion) is extremely poorly planned,” said the Transcona resident who drives on Marion each day. “I think infrastructure hasn’t kept up with the amount of traffic that uses it every day.”

The 40-year-old bank employee said she was T-boned twice near the Lagimodiere Boulevard intersection: once in 2020, and again in 2021.

Both times, Marino had been driving home to Transcona, travelling eastbound on Marion in the inside lane, when a truck collided with her vehicle while exiting the Maple Leaf Consumer Foods parking lot.

“There’s just so much congestion in that intersection and cars trying to turn in and out. Someone is going to get killed one day,” Marino said.

The City of Winnipeg is asking the public for input on how to improve Marion Street and a series of area intersections.

The second phase of the Moving on Marion Street project, which aims to address weak spots in the corridor’s vehicle, cycling, and pedestrian infrastructure, is underway.

The project’s scope includes sections of Marion Street from St. Mary’s Road to Lagimodere Boulevard and Lagimodiere from Marion to Dugald Road. There are also proposed changes to the Panet-Dawson intersection, and Youville Road between Marion and Goulet.

In one iteration of the plan, the easternmost approach of the Maple Leaf Consumer Foods parking lot would be closed. Marino said she’s seen numerous near-accidents at the entrance and describes it as a “dangerous” spot.

The project proposes changes to bike infrastructure along the Marion-Goulet couplet near the Norwood Bridge — an area where Marino said she has witnessed narrow misses between pedestrians and cyclists opting to use the sidewalk instead of the road.

Mark Cohoe, executive director of Bike Winnipeg, said adding bike lanes that stem from the south end of the bridge would create “important connections” in the city’s cycling network.

“Coming off the Norwood bridge, right now it’s just dead ends,” Cohoe said. “This would be a big jump forward.”

He added Moving on Marion Street’s proposed improvements to bike routes complement Our Winnipeg 2045, the city’s 25-year development plan.

“When you think about the price of gas going up the way it is, and what we’re hearing on climate and the need to drive down our emissions by 2030, this is something that helps us along the way,” Cohoe said.

The project was born out of the failed $566-million Marion-Archibald underpass and road-widening project, Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) said.

The first phase of Moving on Marion Street kicked off in 2019. The project’s final design phase is expected to wrap later this year.

“We rebooted the Marion Street design study to look at bettering the road for all road users, and we wanted an affordable option,” Allard said. “It’s a matter of finding the money in a future budget to get it funded.”

The design plan for Lagimodiere from Marion to Dugald highlights property along the west side of the route that would need to be absorbed to make way for a new vehicle lane — a property that currently contains homes.

“I’m not convinced yet that those are going to be required as part of the project,” Allard said. “I raised my concerns with the public service and expect to be talking about that some more.”

The public consultation for the west segment of the project area will take place April 19, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The city is taking feedback for the east segment the following day (also 6:30-8:30 p.m.). Registrations can be made through the Engage Winnipeg website.

An online project survey is available through Engage Winnipeg until April 28.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca