Traffic delays at Portage and Main starting as early as Tuesday

Barriers at Winnipeg’s major intersection of Portage and Main, which has been closed to pedestrians for forty plus years, are seen on Friday, March 1, 2024. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)

Commuters traveling through Winnipeg’s most iconic intersection could see traffic delays begin next week as work to reopen the intersection to pedestrians gets underway.

On Friday, the City of Winnipeg announced traffic around Portage and Main could be disrupted as early as October 15.

Over a four-week period, sections of curb and median lanes on both streets will be closed intermittently while crews prepare to demolish the long-standing concrete barriers.

The city said major construction work – including the barrier removal – will begin on November 15. Other aspects of the project include installing new traffic lights and constructing new curbs and sidewalks.

More details on the project, along with associated traffic impacts, will be released before November 15.

In March, city council voted in favour of reopening Portage and Main to pedestrians. Mayor Scott Gillingham pushed to open the intersection for the first time since 1979 because of a $73 million price tag to fix a failing membrane protecting the underground concourse below.

Work on the intersection is expected to be completed by June 27 with street level crossing open by July 1.