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Global News
a day ago
- General
- Global News
Decades after closure, Winnipeg's iconic intersection opens to pedestrians once more
It's been more than four and a half decades, but an intersection known in popular myth as Canada's coldest and windiest is finally reopening to pedestrian traffic. The iconic corner of Portage Avenue and Main Street in Winnipeg opens to foot traffic Friday morning, after a long and tumultuous journey, with plenty of controversy, leading up to this point. Portage and Main has played host to some key parts of the city's history, from indelible moments during the deadly Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, to the Winnipeg Jets signing future Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk there in 1981. Looking west on Portage Avenue prior to the opening of the Portage and Main underground pedestrian concourse on February 23, 1979. (Photo courtesy of the City of Winnipeg Archives.). Photo courtesy of the City of Winnipeg Archives.' The iconic intersection was initially closed to foot traffic in the late 1970s with the creation of the underground concourse linking four corner properties. A 40-year deal to permanently close Portage and Main to pedestrians came into effect around 1978. Story continues below advertisement The idea of potentially reopening the intersection has been a near-constant topic of conversation in Winnipeg ever since — coming to head when then-mayor Brian Bowman, who originally campaigned on reopening the famous intersection, issued a plebiscite on the matter as part of the 2018 civic election, coinciding with the expiration of the city's 40-year pact. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy That plebiscite led to a split among Winnipeggers — divided almost 65/35 — in favour of keeping the intersection vehicles-only, although later reports showed that the vast majority of the 'no' voters were those whose commute took them through the intersection, but didn't live in the immediate area. Those who lived nearby were overwhelmingly in support of pedestrian access. Winnipeg mayor Scott Gillingham, who admitted to being in favour of keeping the intersection closed to pedestrians during the plebiscite — when he was a city councillor — announced in March of 2024 that he'd had a change of heart, after a city report about the costs of replacing the waterproof membrane that protects the underground pedestrian concourse. Story continues below advertisement Gillingham said in 2024 that much more information about the state of the intersection had become available in the years since the plebiscite, and suggested many Winnipeggers might have voted 'yes' on opening Portage and Main had they known more details at the time. Council voted 'yes' to reopening the iconic intersection to pedestrians later that month, with the plan to coincide with the city's overhauled transit system, which launches this Sunday. Winnipeg launched additional pedestrian amenities earlier this week — starting the process to convert a stretch of downtown's Graham Avenue, previously a busy transit route, into a pedestrian and cyclist-friendly 'placemaking project'.
CTV News
a day ago
- General
- CTV News
Pedestrians are back: Portage and Main set to reopen to foot traffic today
Watch a timelapse of the construction at Portage and Main to reopen the intersection to pedestrians Why did the Winnipegger cross the road? Well for the past 46 years they couldn't – at least not at Portage and Main. But on Friday that is all about to change. The City of Winnipeg will be holding a ceremony Friday at 10:30 a.m. to officially reopen the famed intersection to foot traffic. CTV News will be live-streaming the event. Crossing at Portage and Main was a common occurrence in Winnipeg all the way into the 1970s. But in 1976 the city signed a deal to open a retail space underground, which in turn would move pedestrian traffic there as well. In 1979, the underground concourse was completed, and pedestrians were no longer allowed to cross the intersection. There was a bit of life for the intersection in 2018 when a plebiscite was held asking Winnipeggers if they wanted to reopen the street or not. It was defeated with 65 per cent opposed reopening it, compared to 35 per cent in favour. Then-Mayor Brian Bowman said the city would honour the results of the plebiscite. However, talk of removing the barriers and bringing pedestrians back didn't go away. A motion was brought forward in 2023 to once again allow people to cross the road, and in March of 2024, Mayor Scott Gillingham announced the intersection would reopen. Construction work started at the end of 2024 with a goal of having Portage and Main open again by the summer of 2025. CTV News will update this story.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Putting people before cars — finally
Opinion The first time I encountered the barriers at Portage and Main was in September of 2004 when I was visiting Winnipeg for research interviews. I walked from my hotel to city hall after consulting Google Maps (remember those?), feeling confident that it was a straightforward jaunt down Main Street. I couldn't have been more wrong. I was confounded when I was forced to go underground into a dark, nearly empty mall that had me going in circles to find way out and finally in desperation, with the clock ticking, I gave up. I got out, above ground on the south side of Main, pulled my skirt above my knees, carefully watching for traffic and jumped the barriers, to cross safely. That was my introduction to the famous Portage and Main. I, for one, am not sad to see those barriers go. I say this as a longtime resident of this city, living in the southside. I regularly drive downtown. I will be happy to cross the intersection come Friday as a pedestrian, without having to hike up my skirt. I have never understood the logic. In 2014, former mayor Brian Bowman pledged to open Portage and Main within five years of winning office. Of course, he failed to do that. Instead of championing the opening as a way of reinvigorating the downtown, he turned it into a plebiscite question in 2018 — with 65 per cent of Winnipeggers supporting the status quo. Fast forward to 2024. A new city report revealed that carrying out repairs on the intersection while maintaining the underground walkway would cost $73 million and disrupt traffic for up to five years. Much of the work would involve repairing a leaky membrane that prevents the underground from flooding. That changed the ball game. Closing the underground mall and opening up the intersection became a no-brainer after that. The problems with the leaks, by the way, were no surprise to the Vote Open group advocating for the barriers to come down. It was well known at the time of the plebiscite that the membrane was going to cost considerable dollars to fix but just how much was not clear. As Dan Lett has already argued in a column earlier this week, Winnipeg has made it to the 'bigs' now — following in the footsteps of other major cities like Boston, San Francisco, Halifax and Milwaukee who have also deconstructed their monuments to the automobile and envisioned a downtown that's people-friendly. Even when it's -50 with the windchill. Ian McCausland was a tireless advocate for the Vote Open Team in 2018 and has become a voice for making this city more accessible and less reliant on vehicles in the years since. Does he feel a certain degree of satisfaction now that the historic corner is opening after all the debate? 'While I wouldn't have loved to see the Yes vote win in 2018, I am still very excited to see the changes happen now. Winnipeg doesn't change very fast, sometimes that a good thing sometimes it's a frustrating thing, it's very much a Winnipeg thing.' Yes, it's a Winnipeg thing. In 2014, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce unveiled its 'Bold' campaign outlining policy initiatives that it hoped city leaders would implement to — in part — transform the downtown into a livable, organic neighborhood. It seems that more than 10 years later, it's finally starting to take place with Portage and Main opening and other new initiatives like the closure of Graham Avenue to create a pedestrian mall. McCausland sees this as exciting. 'I think we're seeing a beginning, a move toward a more walkable, friendly and equitable downtown. As the city continues to grow in population, we have to find ways for everyone to get out of the 'one person/one car commute.' These are positive steps towards that.' Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Also part of the 2014 'Bold' vision from the chamber was the implementation of active-transportation initiatives and that goes directly to how we can become a more inclusive city. McCausland explains: 'Since 2018 I have learned so much about how transportation is a reflection of our community. How we move round each other is just as important as when we get there. Transportation equity is where we factor in the 25 per cent of the population that doesn't own a car and make efforts of inclusion and accessibility.' This week marks my 20th anniversary in this city. I am still somewhat baffled yet enraptured by all its proclivities. And I am glad I am living here as it makes its 'Bold' transformation. And just like most things Winnipeg, I also know there will be a ton of naysayers on the sidelines telling us it will never be successful. That too is a Winnipeg thing. Shannon Sampert is a political scientist. She can be reached at shannon@
