Chief Peguis Trail extension plans revving up

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This article was published 06/06/2017 (3396 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeggers on crutches, with children in tow and a few feeling kind of cranky after battling rush-hour traffic got a chance Tuesday to tour the proposed Chief Peguis Trail Extension West that’s supposed to clear some clogged old arteries in a city that’s growing.

They viewed the proposed design at a packed open house at Red River Community Centre, asked questions of city representatives and project team members, and offered feedback on plans to extend Chief Peguis Trail from Main Street west to Brookside Boulevard (Route 90).

“I love the idea, the planning and the perspective,” said Jorel Santelices, who hobbled into the open house on crutches after injuring his Achilles tendon playing basketball. He and his wife work opposite shifts and he’d like to spend more time with her when she gets home in the morning, but she’s stuck in rush-hour traffic.

“At Chief Peguis and Main Street, it’s gridlock… (However) it’s not as bad as the Philippines,” said the man who’s lived in Winnipeg since 1996 and wants to know how much the extension of Chief Peguis Trail will cost and who will pay for it.

The City of Winnipeg Transportation Master Plan identifies the Chief Peguis Trail as a major transportation facility and an important part of Winnipeg’s strategic road network. When complete, it will provide a continuous east-west link between Brookside Boulevard (Route 90) and the Perimeter Highway. Its goal is to support economic development, create recreational opportunities and support the completion of a strategic inner ring road to reduce traffic on neighbourhood streets, making them more accommodating for public transit, walking and cycling.

A mom who was at the open house Tuesday after school with two rambunctious young daughters wanted to see what kind of walking and bike trails are included in the Chief Peguis western extension and if it might reduce the traffic in their neighbourhood. “We live in a new development,” said the woman who did not give her name. “There are not a lot of sidewalks and big trucks are going by.”

Owners of a company close to where the trail would meet McPhillips Street complained to a city representative at the open house about the configuration of the trail potentially impeding their business.

That’s one of the reasons the city holds public information sessions, said Coun. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), who was attending the open house. His neighbouring ward has benefitted from the Chief Peguis Trail since it opened in 2011. The plan for the western extension will allow a lot more free-flowing traffic, Browaty said.

Peggy and Al Leuschen have lived in the Maples area for 26 years and hope the extension will alleviate traffic congestion that came with the population boom in the area following the growth of developments such as Amber Trails and condo projects along Leila Avenue.

“I’m hoping we’ll have easy access onto there, with on- and off-ramps,” said Peggy. She takes the No. 77 bus and was looking to find out if there will be improvements to Winnipeg Transit to go with “park-and-ride” areas shown at major crossroads on a map of the Chief Peguis Trail western extension.

Construction work on the western extension isn’t going to start any time soon, according to the city’s timeline for the project. Another open house is planned for November. At that time, a three-dimensional model of the extension is expected to be on display.

Plans for the extension — with budget considerations, a recommended construction procurement method, approval of road alignment and authority to negotiate required lands — won’t go before city council until January.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

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