Moving ahead on Marion Street

St. Boniface

Winnipeggers have the chance to weigh in on the future configuration of a busy traffic route in St. Boniface.

The City of Winnipeg will hold an open house featuring the Moving on Marion Street project on Thursday, March 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Norwood Community Centre (87 Walmer St.). It will be a drop-in format, no registration is required.

Officials say the project is intended to improve traffic flow, safety and livability on Marion Street and focuses specifically on Marion Street from St. Mary’s Road to Lagimodiere Boulevard, and Lagimodiere from Marion to Dugald Road.

This stage of the process represents the third phase of public engagement, and the proposed design for the Marion Street corridor is based on feedback collected during the second phase, which, in turn, was based on a number of main issues raised during the first phase.

According to information available on the city’s website, examples include enhancing neighbourhood vibrancy and livability throughout the west segment of the area; adding bike infrastructure in the Marion-Goulet couplet of streets, which would improve the Youville-Marion-Goulet intersection; improving the Marion-Archibald intersection and Happyland Park; realigning the road on Youville Street; and improving the Marion-Archibald, Marion-Panet-Dawson, and Marion-Lagimodiere/Dugald intersections.

Coun. Matt Allard (St. Boniface) said one of the main goals of the project is to address issues such as livability and traffic flow and make the area more accessible and safer for residents and visitors, and more accommodating to their chosen modes of transport, while also not losing sight of Winnipeg’s Climate Action Plan and its objectives.

“Whether you’re walking or cycling, there needs to be safe places for you to go on Marion and Archibald,” Allard said. “We know there’s a desire to improve the space. Marion is the most urban area in St. Boniface. We want to revitalize the street and make is safer and more efficient.”

As part of the conversation around the efficiency aspect, Allard said there also needs to be a modal shift in the numbers and a reduction in the percentage of vehicles on the road with just a single passenger.

Proposed design elements, depending on the specific area of the project, include more protection for cyclists and dedicated lanes, and improved sidewalk accessibility to enhance pedestrian safety, as well as improved transit infrastructure.

According to the city, earlier this year it reached out to landowners in areas where the proposed design might impact their property to inform them and engage with any concerns they might have.

Previously gathered feedback, as well as that garnered from the third phase of engagement will help create a design with more technical and precise cost estimates, officials say.

In terms of the project’s timeline, after this current phase of engagement is complete, a recommended design will be submitted this spring and then reviewed by council in the fall.

Individuals can also participate by taking an online survey until Friday, March 24. Go online at engage.winnipeg.ca/moving-on-marion-street for detailed information about the project.