Big bucks to break up Route 90 bottleneck

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This article was published 04/06/2024 (460 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A hotly debated megaproject to add traffic lanes, active transportation pathways and sewage upgrades to Kenaston Boulevard is expected to cost at least $586 million, amid questions over the project’s value and environmental impact.

And the City of Winnipeg could have to pay another $151 million for the project if it becomes the sole funder and uses debt to pay for it.

A new city reports deems the well-known Route 90 bottleneck to be part of a “vital transportation corridor.”

“It is one of only two north-south routes that span the entire city. The corridor requires upgrades to address current and future traffic volumes, new development and future redevelopment, as well as the needs of pedestrians, cyclists and transit users,” Brad Neirinck, Winnipeg public works manager of engineering, wrote in the report.

The project would overhaul Kenaston between Taylor and Ness avenues.

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he remains convinced it should proceed.

“We need to upgrade the road, widen the road, replace the bridges and do the sewer work. So, this project has to be done. Anyone who’s driven down Route 90 in that section lately will know that this road has passed its end of life,” said Gillingham.

Neirinck notes the city typically considers widening roads to six lanes (three in each direction) once traffic counts hit at least 35,000 vehicles per day. Average weekday counts have hit 79,000 on the St. James bridges and more than 40,000 on that stretch of Route 90, the report says.

“These numbers result in bottlenecks and traffic delays,” Neirinck wrote.

Gillingham said the route also requires attention to support Naawi-Oodena, a major Indigenous-led economic development zone being built on the former Kapyong Barracks land that is expected to produce up to 3,000 new homes and up to 1.2 million square feet of commercial space.

“To make sure that is successful, we need to make sure that that road at that location has the capacity necessary,” he said.

The mayor plans to seek funding for the project from the provincial and federal governments, since he doesn’t believe the city can afford to pay the entire tab.

The report calls for city council approval to move the project forward for an independent business case to further assess its value and consider “alternative project delivery methods.”

The current Kenaston plan would widen the street to three traffic lanes in each direction, install active transportation pathways on both sides and separate aging pipes to reduce combined sewer overflows.

The city would need to use part or all of 78 private properties, 50 Department of National Defence-owned sites and 14 city-owned properties to implement the current design, making expropriation of some private lots likely.

The report predicts the road widening would create $140 million of economic benefits, which drops to $20.5 million after the cost to add the lanes is removed. Only the lane widening cost is considered because it reflects the sole “optional” component of the project, the report notes.

It lists savings from mitigated construction delays, vehicle travel time reductions, reduced fuel consumption, reduced emissions, prevented collisions and reduced pedestrian travel time among the cost benefits.

However, the head of council’s water, waste and environment committee, said the perceived benefits clash with city goals to combat climate change.

“We cannot put out climate change strategies and energy investment road maps and completely ignore them. The cost-benefit analysis comes out at $20 million to the good. Most of that is (based on the idea) we’re going to save a lot of driving time,” said Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital).

“At this stage, I wouldn’t support it…. Somehow, we’re claiming that making it cheaper and faster to drive a car will increase (the number) of people who use transit,” he added.

Gillingham said the project does offer some environmental benefits.

“One of the benefits is (the project) would reduce idling wait times. It would (also) allow the City of Winnipeg to provide better transit service on that road,” he said.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of the public works committee, said the project is desperately needed.

“The St. James bridge is old, Kenaston is turning into a gravel road…. So, it’s critical that (the project) occurs,” said Lukes.

The Waverley West councillor said she’s hopeful a public–private partnership could be explored to help control costs.

She expects some backlash on that idea and the call to widen the road.

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“I think people recognize we need to fix the bridge, we need to fix the existing road…. The debate will be, ‘do we need the third lane (in each direction) or not?’” said Lukes.

While many drivers have pushed the city to widen Kenaston for years, the project caused heated debate in 2023 after the city released a detailed proposal for public consultations. At the time, the Transportation and Land Use Coalition urged council to pause new spending on the Kenaston overhaul and Chief Peguis Trail extension projects, until a cost-benefit analysis and environmental assessment of each project was completed.

The group suggested the city could lose money on the projects and pre-empt its own climate change goals by encouraging more personal vehicle traffic.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.