'It’s time to open Portage and Main to pedestrian traffic': Winnipeg mayor
Winnipeg’s mayor said he is drafting a motion to reopen Portage and Main to pedestrians to dodge a multimillion-dollar repair bill and years of construction-related traffic delays.
Scott Gillingham made the announcement Friday morning at Winnipeg City Hall flanked by four fellow city councillors.
Gillingham said a new city report on traffic impacts and associated costs of repairing the waterproof membrane underneath the road surface outlines four to five years of construction-related traffic delays and could cost at least $73 million.
Beyond that, more costly repairs could be needed in 30 to 40 years time.
“I cannot support the status quo as outlined in the administrative report, and I believe that for the benefit of commuters and businesses and residents and taxpayers, we need to pursue a more practical alternative,” he said.
“It’s time to open Portage and Main to pedestrian traffic.”
Gillingham said he’s working with Coun. Sherri Rollins to draft a motion that recommends the city open Portage and Main to pedestrian crossings by the summer of 2025 to coincide with the launch of the city’s new transit network.
The mayor said he knows there will be members of council, including those in his own executive policy committee, who will reject this approach.
He also acknowledges voters will wonder about the 2018 plebiscite, which found 65 per cent of voters wanted to keep the barricades up.
It’s a fair question, he said, but notes lots has changed in six years. He said the construction timeline and costs associated with repairing the membrane were not known then or during the last civic election.
The pandemic has also changed commuting patterns, he says, creating lower traffic volumes through the intersection and less rush hour traffic.
“I think if voters did have that information in 2018, I think they probably would have made a different choice. I know I would have.”
Moreover, Gillingham said the intersection, which has been closed since 1979, has consumed so much attention and energy over the years, to the point of being distracting.
The long and winding history of Portage and Main
The move to reopen comes after the city released different planning options for the contentious intersection in April 2023.
A waterproof membrane underneath the road surface and the barricades that block pedestrian traffic need to be replaced. At the time, the city said it wanted to use the project to spruce up the intersection.
The options outlined replacing the barriers with bollards or fencing, which could be opened up for special events.
While the project did not include opening the intersection to pedestrian crossings, the report said it was raised during consultations.
City councillors Rollins and Cindy Gilroy also put forward a motion in May to the public works committee to see what it would cost to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross on the street and the impacts that would have on vehicle traffic.
And of course, there was the 2018 civic election and plebiscite on this very issue – the first the city had seen in 35 years.
Then re-elected mayor Brian Bowman said although the results were non-binding, he promised he would honour them.
- With files from CTV's Jeff Keele
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6978649.1722015109!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Missing 3-year-old boy found dead in creek in Mississauga, Ont.: police
A three-year-old boy has been found dead a day after he went missing in a park in Mississauga, Ont., Peel police say.
Celine Dion delivers stirring comeback performance at Paris Olympics opening ceremony
Against the rainy Paris night sky, Celine Dion staged the comeback of her career with a powerful performance from the Eiffel Tower to open the Olympic Games.
Jasper wildfire: 'Several weeks' before residents can return, premier says
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday afternoon in Hinton while weather conditions are cooler, the Jasper fire is still considered out of control and that Jasper residents can expect to be away from their homes 'for several weeks.'
Irish museum pulls Sinead O'Connor waxwork after just one day due to backlash
An Irish museum will withdraw a waxwork of singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor just one day after installing it, following a backlash from her family and the public, it told CNN in a statement on Friday.
Winnipeg senior's account overdrawn for $146,000 water bill
A Winnipeg senior is getting soaked with a six-figure water bill.
FBI says Trump was indeed struck by bullet during assassination attempt
Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump's near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president's ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president's injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally.
Driver charged after flashing high beams at approaching police
Orillia OPP arrested and charged a driver with impaired driving after flashing their high beams.
Powerful cartel leader 'El Mayo' Zambada was lured onto airplane before arrest in U.S., AP source says
A powerful Mexican drug cartel leader who eluded authorities for decades was duped into flying into the U.S., where he was arrested alongside a son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, according to a U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Turpel-Lafond won't sue CBC over Cree heritage report that took 'heavy toll': lawyer
The lawyer for a former judge whose claims to be Cree were questioned in a CBC investigation says his client is not considering legal action against the broadcaster after the Law Society of British Columbia this week backed her claims of Indigenous heritage.