One small step for pedestrians, one giant leap for Portage and Main

Pedestrians will legally cross Portage Avenue and Main Street before the end of next week.

On Thursday, Mayor Scott Gillingham said the reopening date is set for June 27.

“After (more than) 45 years of debating whether it should be open or not, we’ve ended the debate. It’s opening and I’m getting very positive feedback from people in the downtown, that live in downtown, that work in downtown, that own businesses in downtown. I’m getting positive comments from people who live in the suburbs as well,” said Gillingham.

At last check, the mayor said the project was within its current budget, which had been bumped up to $21.3 million from $13 million to cover its expedited schedule.

The city had aimed to reopen the intersection to foot traffic by the time Winnipeg Transit unveils a new network, on June 29, that will change virtually all of its routes.

“It was very important, all along, that the pedestrian traffic be able to cross at Portage and Main and the construction related to the opening be completed before we make the change in our transit system,” said Gillingham.

Pedestrian access at Portage and Main has not been allowed since 1979.

Reopening it has been debated for decades, with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers voting against the idea in a non-binding 2018 plebiscite. Gillingham originally said he would follow the results of that vote but changed his mind after a city report estimated it would cost $73 million to repair the membrane to renovate the site’s underground concourse.

He then supported closing the underground, an idea the city is now studying, and reopening the intersection to pedestrians.

“My thinking has (changed). When I drive through the intersection now, these days, I can’t help but think how welcoming … the space looks to invite people into all of the buildings,” said Gillingham.

Coun. Janice Lukes, chairwoman of public works, said the reopening project triggered few construction complaints.

“I hardly got any pushback on it. The actual (traffic) flow through Portage and Main, all things considered, went extremely well,” said Lukes.

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She said she hopes restoring pedestrian access will end heated debate over the issue.

“Many people have a passion for Portage and Main. It’s a very significant hub in our city and… I think it’s exciting (to open it),” she said.

Opponents of the change argued it wasn’t worth its cost and could create significant traffic delays, while supporters argue the change will help rejuvenate and better connect downtown.

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.