Manitoba to give $3M to repair rail bridge at The Forks
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The Forks is celebrating new funding it says will help reopen a popular active transportation bridge.
Premier Wab Kinew has promised $3 million on behalf of the Manitoba government to support a $9.3-million project to restore The Forks Historical Rail Bridge, The Forks said.
“It was a nice early Christmas gift for The Forks and the people of Winnipeg,” said Adam Dooley, corporate communications director for the downtown site.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
The rail bridge closed due to safety concerns in 2023.
The rail bridge closed due to safety concerns in 2023, while a campaign now aims to raise funds to repair it.
“There was a giant counterweight built into that bridge because it was a lift bridge… to allow boat traffic to go underneath. That gigantic counterweight was starting to deteriorate and chunks of concrete were falling to the pathways below, so that’s why we had to close it,” said Dooley.
While the counterweight has been removed, new decking and repairs to the steel structure are still needed to reopen the “vital” link, said Dooley.
“More than 350,000 people used it annually before (it closed)… It connects the main (Forks) fort site to Niizhoziibean, which is the Indigenous historical site and cultural gathering place with great significance in our city’s history,” he said.
The Forks is still seeking funding for the rest of the project, so there is no set timeline on when the bridge could reopen.
“We’re hoping to have more news in the new year,” said Dooley.
The provincial government confirmed the funding Tuesday afternoon.
The bridge, which allows pedestrians and cyclists to cross the Assiniboine River from South Point Park to The Forks, closed without notice in June 2023.
joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca
X: @joyanne_pursaga
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.
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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.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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History
Updated on Tuesday, December 23, 2025 4:27 PM CST: Adds province confirmed funding Tuesday afternoon