Bowman, director at odds over intersection

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This article was published 30/11/2016 (3579 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s confusion at city hall over when the Portage and Main intersection will be reopened to pedestrians.

While the director of public works told reporters Tuesday it would take two years of planning before work can begin, Mayor Brian Bowman said Wednesday that statement was “inaccurate,” but he remained vague on when it will happen.

“Let me be clear, the timelines that are being contemplated vary and it really is going to be dependent on how the discussions continue to go with the property owners,” Bowman told reporters Wednesday. “But it could happen sooner, it could happen later.”

There is no question now that the iconic intersection will be reopened — it’s just an issue of how much it will cost and when the work will get started. Bowman had made it an election campaign commitment in 2014 and wanted it open to coincide with the start of the Canada Summer Games in July.

After tabling the 2017 preliminary city budget last week, which did not include any funding for the initiative, Bowman admitted the timeline appears unlikely.

Lester Deane, director of public works, told reporters Tuesday a consultant’s report found no issues with reopening the intersection to pedestrians, but there are concerns that steps will need to be taken to ensure pedestrian safety and accessibility. Deane singled out the area in front of the Bank of Montreal — where there is a six-foot drop to the roadway and limited space to accommodate pedestrians and signals — as problematic and in need of changes. Deane also pointed out there has been no money allocated in the 2017 budget for the reopening, and he assumed that dollars would only be made available in 2018.

The city’s top bureaucrat, CAO Doug McNeil, said he expects a report will go to council “in the next few months” outlining all costs related to reopening the intersection and refurbishing the underground concourse, which belongs to the city.

McNeil did not provide any cost estimates or say how quickly the work can be done if council approves the plan.

“I’m not going to reveal what that plan looks like now, but we are still working on it,” McNeil said.

McNeil said Deane’s comments were made on the assumption funding for the project would not be provided until 2018 but he said the administration will make a request later this year.

The report and recommendations will be brought forward in the next few months, he said.

McNeil also explained reopening the intersection will be complicated, as the barricades are integral to the underground walkway structure.

“It’s not a simple matter of just knocking down those barricades because you may have detrimental effect on the underground structures as well.”

McNeil said discussions with the adjoining property owners have shown they are all supportive of reopening the intersection, but they want city hall to upgrade the underground concourse area, which is city property.

“There were some assumptions that it would just be work done above ground but we now know that we need to do something below ground,” McNeil said. “We should be making an investment underground as well.”

McNeil said the city will be hiring designers to recommend upgrades to the underground concourse area, adding that will also be included in the report going to council.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca