Council votes to reopen Portage and Main to pedestrians, close underground concourse

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This article was published 21/03/2024 (558 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In the end, the final vote in a debate that has raged since 1979 wasn’t even close.

Next year, after 46 years, pedestrians will once again cross Portage and Main at street level: city council Thursday voted 11-3 to open the intersection and close the underground concourse.

The landmark intersection, which has been called the windiest in Canada, has been the place where Bombers fans race to following a Grey Cup win, where protests are routinely held and where the military was celebrated for helping out during the 1997 “flood of the century.”

The vote came after city officials estimated it would cost $73 million and disrupt traffic for up to five years to replace the leaking membrane that protects the underground concourse and keep it open. Mayor Scott Gillingham has repeatedly argued that assessment makes a clear case to close the underground instead.

“I believe the practical alternative (is) to open the intersection to pedestrian traffic at street level, avoid up to five years of traffic delays and decommission the concourse,” said Gillingham.

The mayor joined Couns. Matt Allard, Jeff Browaty, Shawn Dobson, Evan Duncan, Cindy Gilroy, Janice Lukes, Brian Mayes, Sherri Rollins, Vivian Santos and Devi Sharma to support the proposal, while Couns. Ross Eadie, Jason Schreyer and Russ Wyatt voted against it. Couns. Markus Chambers and John Orlikow were absent.

An early estimate suggests it would cost about $20 million to $50 million to close the concourse, though council voted to complete a more thorough assessment of that cost, and the steps required, before the 2025 budget process.

City officials are expected to prepare for the street-level reopening by July 1, 2025. The city expects to devote $13 million to the “initial opening design and construction” and defer some road projects to pay for it.

Some delegates at Thursday’s council meeting questioned why council would make such a quick decision to close the concourse, before the full impact is studied.

“We’ll all have to wait until after you vote to close it to find out what it would actually cost… We know nothing that we need to know about the ramifications of closing it,” said Judy Waytiuk.

Waytiuk noted she has a vested interest in opposing the concourse closure, since her late partner, Bruce Head, created the 127-metre-long concrete artwork that covers the inner wall of the circular walkway, which would be difficult to save on its own.

She stressed maintaining public infrastructure is a primary role of city council, including the concourse.

A member of the trucking industry said he fears large trucks could lose some access to the intersection, which is a key part of many different routes.

“We’re not specifically against opening the barricades… Our concern is keeping Portage and Main open in all directions to trucks because conceptual designs do not make that clear,” said Aaron Dolyniuk, executive director of the Manitoba Trucking Association.

Debate over pedestrian access at the intersection has raged on for many years. In a 2018 plebiscite, 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voted “no” to reopening the intersection to pedestrians, which was cut off in 1979 after the underground concourse opened.

Wyatt said the city shouldn’t pursue a reopening unless a second plebiscite with the same question finds the majority of Winnipeggers now support the change.

“I’m not going to vote to open Portage and Main, absolutely not, without there being another plebiscite (to) let the citizens of Winnipeg decide,” said Wyatt (Transcona).

He also expressed safety concerns, suggesting pedestrian access will result in an increase in crashes, causing injuries and even deaths.

While the mayor said he was opposed to reopening the intersection during the last election campaign, Gillingham said the latest information, especially the cost to fix the concourse, led him to change his mind.

Eadie (Mynarski) supported pedestrian access but opposed the concourse closure.

“I’m definitely not for closing the concourse. It’s existing infrastructure, just like the Arlington Bridge (that should be maintained),” he said.

Meanwhile, Browaty said an amending clause, which requires the cost and traffic impacts of closing the concourse to be studied, helped lead him to support the slightly altered motion. That comes despite his long-standing opposition to opening the intersection to pedestrians.

“Even though I’m still against 24/7 (pedestrian) crossings and I don’t think spending $13 million to rush the opening for next year is the best plan, I do think… getting that amendment is important enough (to vote for this),” he said.

The North Kildonan councillor said pedestrian crossings should be assessed over the first 12 to 18 months after the reopening.

“If it doesn’t work out… perhaps (in the) longer term, we look at putting weekday rush-hour bans on pedestrian crossing,” said Browaty.

The mayor said he’s committed to consulting with the trucking industry, property owners at the intersection and businesses in the underground concourse about the changes, noting any spending to actually close the concourse would still require city council approval.

“Council has to make hard decisions from time to time. There are times… when we have to make a decision about whether we’re going to continue to invest in an asset or whether or not we’re going to say it’s time to decommission an asset,” said Gillingham.

Council’s decision also directs city staff to consult with the Winnipeg Arts Council about the public art in the concourse.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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