Empress Street in St. James has been crowned the worst road in the province.
More than 6,000 Manitobans cast their votes in CAA’s annual Worst Roads campaign with close to 700 roads around the province getting mentioned.
“It’s no surprise that Empress St. took the top dishonour in our campaign – it’s been a popular vote for many years thanks to the fact it’s falling apart at the seams,” said Liz Kulyk with CAA Manitoba in a release.
CAA Manitoba said drivers identified potholes and crumbling pavement as the biggest concerns on Empress. Cyclists also cited it as their top concern, followed by a lack of cycling infrastructure.
“We’re pleased Empress is scheduled for reconstruction with a new bike lane addition this year, but the reality is, that Winnipeggers should not have had to wait this long to get a fix,” said Kulyk.
Empress is located in the St. James-Brooklands-Weston ward, headed by councillor Scott Gillingham.
“For too long, streets in my ward have topped CAA’s annual Worst Roads list. It has been my goal to get those streets rebuilt and off the list,” said Gillingham.
“Since 2014, $75 million has been dedicated to road renewal in St. James and I am pleased that $14 million will be invested to rebuild Empress Street.”
Results from the campaign will be shared with Mayor Brian Bowman and the city of Winnipeg, and the provincial infrastructure minister.
2018 TOP TEN WORST ROADS RANKINGS: CAA MANITOBA
1. Empress Street, Winnipeg
2. Provincial Road 450, Boissevain
3. Sherwin Road, Winnipeg
4. Archibald Street, Winnipeg
5. Saskatchewan Avenue, Winnipeg
6. Provincial Road 247, La Salle
7. Higgins Avenue, Winnipeg
8. Fermor Avenue, Winnipeg
9. Provincial Road 353, Brookdale
10. Pembina Highway, Winnipeg
