Disraeli Freeway to stay open during construction, Doer hints

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This article was published 19/09/2009 (5892 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Northeast Winnipeg residents, stop your cringing — the city and province are now hinting the Disraeli Freeway might be open to motor-vehicle traffic when the aging roadway is repaired next year.

When city council approved a plan to rehabilitate the 1.1-kilometre link between downtown and Elmwood — a $140 million project that also includes the construction of a new bike-and-pedestrian bridge — residents in the northeast quadrant of the city bristled at the possibility the Disraeli Freeway would close for as long as 16 months.

However, the city called on contractors to figure out a way to keep the closing short or even eliminate it. In recent months, the province has also been lobbying the city to find a way to eliminate the complete closing.

Now, outgoing Premier Gary Doer and a new report from the city’s chief financial officer make it sound like the Disraeli won’t be closed during construction after all.

"We’re pleased the city has received a number of bids that allows for the Disraeli Freeway to be open during the construction-reconstruction period," Doer said in Question Period this week. The premier went on to hint the province might provide Winnipeg with more cash for the project, but stopped short of making an actual commitment.

Then on Friday, a report by Winnipeg chief financial officer Mike Ruta acknowledged the possibility of spending more on the Disraeli rehabilitation, possibly to fund "new bridge options" such as the construction of a brand-new span to replace the existing bridge.

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz, however, said he was surprised by the premier’s comments and insisted no deal is in place to prevent Disraeli from being shut during construction just yet.

"City council made a commitment to explore all options that were out there to address what they called the 16-month closure," Katz said. "I made a commitment to (North Kildonan) Coun. Jeff Browaty and all the citizens of northeast Winnipeg to look at this very seriously, and we continue to do so."

Browaty, however, said he is now much more hopeful about a deal to keep Disraeli Freeway open during construction, based on Doer’s comments and the language in Ruta’s report. "It’s fantastic news for everyone in northeast Winnipeg and it’s the right thing to do," he said.

In another departure for the Disraeli Freeway project, the city is no longer looking at paying for the entire rehabilitation through a public-private partnership.

On Wednesday, executive policy committee will consider Ruta’s request to borrow $75 million for the project conventionally, as the year-long recession has allowed the city to borrow money at a much cheaper rate than any private construction consortium could.

Private companies will still design, build and maintain the freeway and could also be responsible for some of the financing, Ruta’s report states. That means the bulk of the repair job can still be considered a public-private partnership.

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca