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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Fire-paramedic station's location shifts in city's revised design

By: Jen Skerritt

Posted: 07/10/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Winnipeg Fire-Paramedic Service Chief Reid Douglas: 'This is a pretty out-of-the-box project.' (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES ) Photo Store

Winnipeg wants to tweak the design of its new fire-paramedic station that will be one of few buildings in the world located on a cloverleaf.

Last July, city council approved plans to build a new station in St. James on the interchange at Portage Avenue and Route 90. Project manager Kristine Friesen said there are few such buildings in the world and it was the best spot to relocate the existing St. James fire-paramedic station at 200 Berry St.

The unique location prompted some initial traffic concerns. The city conducted a second, more detailed traffic study last fall to flag potential problem areas. A city report released last week said the station will be moved closer to the south side of the cloverleaf, which will be less distracting to drivers travelling southbound on Century Street. The move means the station will take up 613 less square feet, improve sight lines for traffic on Portage Avenue and allow the city to keep more trees on the site, the report said.

Council's Assiniboia community committee will review revised plans at a meeting this afternoon.

"This is a pretty out-of-the-box project," said Winnipeg Fire-Paramedic Service Chief Reid Douglas. "It poses significantly more challenges than just building on a regular building lot. A lot of people have put a lot of time and effort and money into making this happen."

The station is part of a $15-million overhaul to relocate two aging fire-paramedic stations, replace a third and build a new station in Sage Creek.

An administrative report released in 2011 said building Station 11 on the Portage and Century interchange will allow city firefighters and paramedics to maintain their optimum response times in north River Heights, the east portion of St. James and the western part of Winnipeg up to and including the Richardson International Airport.

Friesen said there was no other available land in the area, without expropriating homes, that would have allowed the fire-paramedic service to maintain its four-minute response time. She said moving the station and its emergency vehicles out of a residential area and onto the main arteries will also improve traffic safety.

All emergency and staff vehicles will exit onto Portage Avenue when they leave the station. Emergency vehicles will enter the site from the on-ramp.

Public works staff plan to cut a new median on Portage Avenue to allow emergency vehicles to head south. Friesen said traffic-warning devices will alert motorists when an ambulance or fire engine needs to cross the Portage Avenue median.

Construction is expected to be completed by the end of the year, said Friesen.

"It's pretty innovative for this city."

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 10, 2012 B2

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