Plan to improve section of Route 90 clears hurdle at Winnipeg City Council
A $586-million plan to widen and improve a section of Route 90 has cleared a hurdle at city hall, though it still remains unclear how the upgrades will be paid for.
At a meeting Thursday, Winnipeg City Council voted 13-3 in favour of accepting the preliminary design and referring the project to next year's investment planning process.
Couns. Cindy Gilroy, Matt Allard and Brian Mayes voted against the plan.
The project has three main components - refurbishing the St. James Bridge, adding a third lane to Kenaston Boulevard, and sewer and drainage improvements.
Mayor Scott Gillingham has said widening Kenaston Boulevard will have a positive environmental impact, as more lanes mean less idling and less time stuck in traffic.
However, widening the thoroughfare is just one aspect, noting the project needs to be done to accommodate a growing population.
"We can't make light of or ignore the fact that it is a key trade and transportation route. It does serve as the primary north/south route for trade and truck transportation in our city, the west side of our city," he said.
Allard thinks the money would be better spent investing in other modes of transport. He also doesn't believe the project will net any environmental gains.
"It should be obvious to anyone that widening roads means more fossil fuel emissions, which is bad for climate change, but it's also bad for traffic. The solution to traffic is not widening roads, which induces the demand for cars. It means more congestion, not less," he said.
The public service is now tasked with exploring project delivery methods and possible funding sources.
The city expects 78 private properties, 50 Department of National Defence properties and 14 city-owned properties will be affected.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Israel intensifies bombardment of Gaza and southern Lebanon on the eve of Oct. 7 anniversary
A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment of northern Gaza and southern Lebanon in a widening war with Iran-allied militant groups across the region. Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza killed at least 19 people.
Rare cloud formations ripple the sky over Ottawa
A unique form of clouds made an appearance over the skies of Ottawa on Sunday evening.
The cooking method you need to learn to get excited about vegetables this fall, expert says
'Eat more vegetables,' doctors and dietitians say over and over. But for many people, it’s hard to do, because they aren’t excited about veggies or just don’t like them.
Hurricane Milton is growing stronger as it blows toward Florida's Tampa Bay region
People across Florida were given notice Sunday that Hurricane Milton is intensifying rapidly and will likely be a major hurricane before slamming midweek into the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast.
New Far North hospital moves closer to being built after $1.8B design, build contract awarded
Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Government of Ontario have awarded a $1.8 billion fixed-price contract to design, build and finance a new Far North hospital.
'Environmental racism': First Nations leaders claim cancer-causing contamination was covered up
The people of Fort Chipewyan believe the federal government knew its water was contaminated and hid the issue for years. Now the chief of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation is leading the call for immediate action.
Madonna's brother, Christopher Ciccone, dead at 63
Christopher Ciccone, a multihyphenate artist, dancer, designer and younger brother of Madonna, has died. He was 63.
Frequent drinking of fizzy beverages and fruit juice linked to an increased risk of stroke: research
New data raises questions about the drinks people consume and the potential risks associated with them, according to researchers at Galway University in Ireland, in partnership with Hamilton’s McMaster University.
A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms
As a junior at George Washington University, Ty Lindia meets new students every day. But with the shadow of the Israel-Hamas war hanging over the Washington, D.C., campus, where everyone has a political opinion, each new encounter is fraught.