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Rebuilt bridge enhances transportation options

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/correspondents/2025/02/05/...

As someone who likes to ride a bicycle to get around in St. Vital and Winnipeg, I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to the City of Winnipeg for the quality of the newly renovated St Vital Bridge.

With the completion of the freshly rebuilt span connecting St. Vital to Fort Rouge, the experience of people who walk and cycle and roll has been dramatically improved. The bridge has been completely modernized, with wide, high-quality sidewalks and cycling paths on either side, in addition to excellent and comprehensive connecting pathways and facilities on both sides.

What was once a dangerous choke point that shoved walkers and cyclists up against each other on a narrow sidewalk has become a wide and accommodating deck. It feels welcoming and safe.

No longer will people walking and cycling need to get into awkward conflict, with one or both being pinned to the side to pass each other.

Those riding on both sides can now get on and off the bridge from convenient, direct pathways that link both back to the on-street cycling network and into the off-street pathway system.

This is the latest major infrastructure upgrade in St. Vital to consider the needs of those young and old that travel the community by bicycle and on-foot. The nearby St.

Anne’s Road and Fermor Avenue intersection is now a much-improved shared-use space that makes reasonable accommodation for all modes of transport in a busy location.

It is heartening to see that the city is heading in the right direction, after many years of delays in trying to create more freedom and practicality of choice for the public.

Thank you to the many leaders, activists, and officials who contributed to delivering this encouraging progress.

It’s my fervent hope that this momentum continues in the years to come so that my children and generations to come have safe, empowering, and enjoyable streets and outdoors in Winnipeg.

Ryan Palmquist is managing director of Save Our Seine and a community correspondent for St. Vital.