Project projections

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New Winnipeg police headquarters on Graham Avenue. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

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CentrePort (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

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The first phase of the Seasons of Tuxedo, which will include IKEA, is expected to open by early 2013. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

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The new Investors Group Field. (BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store

If there's one thing Winnipeggers can't stop obsessing about, it's the progress of our mega-projects.

We're transfixed when they're announced by politicians at ribbon-cutting ceremonies. We feign outrage when they take too long to build or go overbudget. We complain when their construction barricades impede our movements by milliseconds.

But we also love to see the darn things get built. Here's what's going up this summer:

Disraeli Freeway reconstruction

The job: The reconstruction of the 1.1-kilometre freeway that connects downtown to Elmwood involves the replacement of both the bridge over the Red River and the Point Douglas overpass. The old bridge will be converted into a bike-and-pedestrian overpass.

Developer: City of Winnipeg

Price tag: $195 million. The city is borrowing $75 million from conventional sources and financing the rest through a public-private partnership with Plenary Roads Winnipeg. That involves 10 years of annual payments of $19.8 million followed by 20 more years of $14.8-million payments.

Completion: The freeway itself should be finished in October. The active-transportation bridge is slated to open in 2013.

Still to come: The city is considering dressing up support columns on the pedestrian bridge with public art, but it's unclear what form that will take.

311 Portage at Centrepoint

The job: A facelift of a sizable chunk of the downtown city block bounded by Portage Avenue, Donald Street, Ellice Avenue and Hargrave Street. A 20-storey building at the northwest corner of Portage Avenue and Donald Street will eventually be home to a 154-room ALT hotel and four storeys of office space, with consulting firm Stantec serving as the anchor tenant. A 450-stall parkade and a residential building will rise on Hargrave Street.

Developer: Longboat Development Corp., owned by Winnipeg's Chipman family, and Artis Real Estate Investment Trust.

Price tag: Approximately $75 million. The city has contributed $660,000 to preserve the historic facade of the Mitchell-Copp Building on Portage Avenue. The Winnipeg Parking Authority has also provided a $5-million low-interest loan to kickstart the parkade's construction.

Completion: Pending city approval, Longboat plans to demolish the final two structures in the way of the development -- the Alabama Building on Ellice and the Norlyn Building on Hargrave. If all goes well, the tower on Portage will open in late 2013.

On the downside: The pending demolition of the Norlyn means the venerable Wagon Wheel diner will close on Friday, after 61 years.

Seasons of Tuxedo

The job: The development of 1.5 million square feet of commercial space in a new retail power centre along Sterling Lyon Parkway west of Kenaston Boulevard. Anchor tenants include a 395,000-square-foot IKEA furniture store, a 77,000-square-foot Cabela's outdoor store and a 100,000-square-foot "home-improvement retailer" expected to be Lowe's.

Developer: Winnipeg's Fairweather Properties, IKEA Canada of Burlington, Ont., and Toronto's Montez Core Income Fund.

Price tag: The entire development may total $400 million by the time the site is completed in 2018. The city and province spent $22 million to subsidize road construction around the site, including the widening of Kenaston Boulevard at Sterling Lyon Parkway.

Completion: The first phase of the project is expected to open by early 2013.

Contrary to popular belief: IKEA is not just a tenant, but a major investor.

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The job: The construction of the first national museum outside of Ottawa, chronicling the progress of human rights in Canada and around the world. The Antoine Predock-designed building at The Forks is intended to be a signature structure for Winnipeg. The content is supposed to be interactive and constantly updated, such as the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Developer: Government of Canada.

Price tag: $351 million. The city and The Forks contributed $21 million in land and cash, the province pledged $39 million and Ottawa has spent $100 million. Private donors have pledged or contributed $130 million to date.

Completion: Officially, 2014, but only if the content is ready.

Costs on the rise: As recently as 2006, the museum had a price tag of $265 million and a 2010 opening date.

CentrePort

The job: In the short term, the construction of a new road -- CentrePort Canada Way -- and water-and-sewer pipes to service the first few developments of an inland port that may eventually encompass 20,000 acres on the flanks of Richardson International Airport. So far, 23 companies have set up shop on 117 acres.

Developer: CentrePort Canada is building the infrastructure.

Price tag: $212 million for CentrePort Canada Way, with the province and Ottawa splitting the bill down the middle. The city and province are splitting the $17-million tab for the water and sewer pipes.

Completion: The road should be finished in 2013. The pipes should be ready in 2014.

Road to where, exactly? The roadwork is the most expensive highway project in Manitoba's history.

Investors Group Field

The job: The construction of a 33,000-seat stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and University of Manitoba Bisons on the U of M campus, at the northwest corner of Chancellor Matheson Road and University Crescent.

Developer: Winnipeg Football Club.

Price tag: $190 million. The city will contribute $7.5 million and the province is in for $22.5 million. The city and province will also contribute $75 million by redirecting new property taxes from the development of the existing stadium site at Polo Park. The Winnipeg Football Club is on the hook for the remaining $85 million over the next 40 years.

Completion: Originally slated for this month, but pushed back to 2013, due to construction delays blamed on wind.

There goes that plan: Since they originally intended to move this month, the Bombers are playing the first four games of the 2012 CFL season on the road. So far, they're 0-2.

New police HQ

The job: The conversion of the former Canada Post building on Graham Mall into a new headquarters for the Winnipeg Police Service.

Developer: City of Winnipeg.

Price tag: $194 million, including $155 million for buying and redeveloping the building, $19 million in short-term financing for the office-tower component, which may be resold, $13 million in additional funds related to acquiring the building and $7 million of interest.

Completion: The work is expected to wrap up in December 2013 and the police are expected to move into their new home in 2014.

In hindsight: The city decided to move ahead with this project when the cost of recladding the existing Public Safety Building and moving officers into temporary digs exceeded $40 million.

-- sources: City of Winnipeg, Longboat Development Corporation, Centreport, Montez Core Income Fund, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Winnipeg Football Club.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 10, 2012 A3