New lane closures coming to Portage and Main as reopening project drives ahead

Traffic flows through Portage and Main in Winnipeg, Man. on May 6, 2025. (Katherine Dow/CTV News Winnipeg)

More lane closures are on the way as the construction project to reopen Portage and Main to pedestrians drives towards the finish line.

The city’s public works committee got an update Tuesday on the $21 million project set to be completed by July 1.

Public works director Jim Berezowsky said the project is on schedule and on budget, with new closures coming in the next two weeks to the curb and median lanes.

This will allow crews to realign the intersection with new pedestrian crossings, install proper signals, and do additional mill and overlay work.

“So far, so good. Again, if you look at it over the last month since we last talked, traffic management hasn’t been a raised concern,” Berezowsky said.

Meanwhile, the public works director told the committee he expects to seek its approval on an $808,000 over-expenditure for a construction tender that initially had a $16 million budget.

Berezowsky already warned the committee this overrun was on the way at a meeting last month, but expects to seek official approval in June.

This money would cover a number of issues that came to light after the project began, he said, including issues with structural support.

If approved, he noted that money would come from contingency dollars already included in the project’s plan, meaning it is still expected to finish within the council-approved budget.